U.S. Navy gains new naval warfare capability with delivery of HII Lionfish uncrewed underwater vehicle.

American shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries has officially delivered the first two Lionfish Small Uncrewed Undersea Vehicles (SUUVs) to the U.S. Navy, marking a transformative milestone in undersea naval warfare modernization. This initial delivery is part of a broader program that could scale to 200 vehicles, with a potential contract value exceeding $347 million. Developed in partnership with the U.S. Navy and the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the Lionfish program is accelerating the adoption of cutting-edge commercial technologies tailored to military requirements.
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HII delivers the first two Lionfish uncrewed underwater vehicles to the US Navy as part of a $347 million program supporting advanced undersea warfare capabilities. (Picture source: HII)

While the Lionfish SUUV (Small Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle) is based on HII’s field-proven REMUS 300 platform, it is far more than a direct derivative. Lionfish incorporates significant enhancements that align with the U.S. Navy’s operational and cybersecurity standards. Notably, Lionfish is the first and only cyber-compliant uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) fielded by the Navy, ensuring safe integration into sensitive naval networks and operations.

The REMUS 300 platform itself is known for its modular, open-architecture design, and the Lionfish leverages this flexibility while integrating Navy-specific systems and secure communications protocols. Lionfish maintains the platform’s impressive technical foundation — a depth rating of 305 meters, a maximum speed of 5 knots, and configurable lithium-ion battery modules offering mission endurance of up to 30 hours. Its form factor allows rapid deployment from a variety of naval vessels, including small boats and submarines, making it an agile tool in distributed maritime operations.

Duane Fotheringham, president of Mission Technologies’ Uncrewed Systems business group at HII, emphasized the strategic significance of this milestone: “The success and on-time delivery of Lionfish is the product of close collaboration between the government and industry team that will put a critical mine hunting capability in the hands of sailors and marines in an operationally relevant time frame.”

The Lionfish SUUV is engineered for a wide array of mission sets including mine countermeasures, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and electronic warfare. It is designed to support new U.S. Navy doctrines centered on distributed lethality and autonomy, reflecting a broader shift in naval strategy driven by the rise of near-peer adversaries and contested maritime domains.

The delivery of Lionfish also highlights a pivotal moment in acquisition reform: it marks the Navy’s first successful transition from an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) prototype to full-rate production. This reflects growing momentum within the Pentagon to rapidly field innovative, dual-use technologies from the commercial sector.

The increased demand for uncrewed undersea vehicles like Lionfish stems from the evolving nature of naval threats. Today’s maritime environment is shaped by the proliferation of advanced anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) systems, smart naval mines, and the strategic expansion of submarine fleets by adversarial powers. These dynamics are pushing the U.S. Navy to invest in autonomous platforms that can operate in contested waters without exposing personnel to risk. Lionfish meets this demand by offering a stealthy, adaptable solution that extends the Navy’s undersea reach and enhances tactical flexibility.

Manufacturing of the Lionfish is currently underway at HII’s Uncrewed Systems facility in Pocasset, Massachusetts. This delivery also builds on HII’s established legacy in undersea autonomy, with over 700 REMUS vehicles delivered to more than 30 nations — including 14 NATO allies. Impressively, more than 90% of these systems remain in active service, attesting to the durability and lifecycle value of the core technology.

With the Lionfish SUUV, the U.S. Navy gains not only a proven technological foundation but also a highly adaptable tool tailored to meet the strategic and tactical demands of modern undersea warfare. Its deployment will play a crucial role in the Navy’s ongoing efforts to maintain undersea dominance in an era of shifting threats and accelerating technological competition.