The U.S. Navy has expanded its strategic investment in autonomous maritime capabilities by adding Persistent Systems to the Family of Systems (FoS) Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract.
Valued at up to $982.1 million, this contract supports the integration and advancement of current and future communications technologies for USVs. Persistent Systems, a leader in mobile ad hoc networking (MANET) solutions, joins 87 other contractors selected to contribute to the Navy’s evolving unmanned surface fleet.
Ed Leopold, Director of Business Development at Persistent Systems, said, “As a leading provider of MANET solutions for this contract, we will serve as the critical data link for maritime unmanned reconnaissance vehicles, supporting numerous mission sets, including maritime domain awareness, sea control/sea denial, and swarming operations. This is essential for maintaining real-time situational awareness for expeditionary forces and supporting collaborative autonomy of unmanned systems.”
Leopold added, “As the U.S. Navy emphasizes the need for manned and unmanned formations, we are seeing the shift from pilot programs and proof of concepts towards the implementation of validated USV upgrades as part of their Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA).”
Drawing on its deep experience with Naval Surface Warfare Centers and Naval Information Warfare Centers, Persistent will supply its MANET technology to Naval Sea Systems Command. The company’s MPU5 networking devices, powered by its scalable Wave Relay MANET, provide robust, secure communications in challenging maritime environments. These systems enable peer-to-peer connectivity across users, supporting high-throughput data transfer including voice, video, sensor data, and GPS signals, all without reliance on fixed infrastructure. This makes them particularly suited to dynamic and dispersed naval operations involving unmanned vessels.
Persistent’s selection for the IDIQ contract reinforces its ongoing contributions to the Navy’s unmanned systems initiatives. Recent engagements include a contract from the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific to network unmanned surface vessels, personnel, ships, and ground control stations. The company also played a critical role in Valiant Shield, a major joint exercise held across the Indo-Pacific, where its technology helped integrate distributed assets across multiple domains. Internationally, Persistent’s MANET solutions were employed by the French Navy during the Paris Olympics to secure a sailing competition, linking vessels and shore-based infrastructure into a unified network.
Leopold added, “We look forward to building on these relationships, and this selection reinforces our position as a trusted supplier for the U.S. Navy.”
By joining the USV FoS IDIQ contract, Persistent Systems strengthens its position as a key enabler of autonomous naval operations and underscores the growing importance of resilient, decentralized communications across the maritime battlespace.
