The U.S. Navy's Program Executive Office for Unmanned and Small Combatants has concluded operational testing of a ship-based unmanned surface vehicle designed to remove explosive mines.
The Unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) underwent and finished its initial operational test and evaluation on the USS Manchester littoral combat ship off California's coast, Naval Sea Systems Command said Monday.
The IOT&E phase ran between May and June as UISS demonstrated its performance against Navy Instrumented Threat Targets. UISS uses a towed minesweeping payload to remove both magnetic and acoustic mines, as well as magnetic-acoustic hybrids, for mine countermeasures.
The assigned test team demonstrated launch, recovery, maintainability and mission execution of UISS. UISS now awaits data-reliant approval to achieve initial operational capability.
“Completion of this operational test event achieves a major milestone for the UISS Program of Record, and demonstrates continued progress to fielding the full capability of the MCM Mission Package aboard LCS,” said Capt. Godfrey “Gus” Weekes, program manager for LCS mission modules at the Navy.
