Fotheringham quoted in Reuters story about UUVs
Reuters reported on “the lethal effectiveness of sea drones” on May 6 but noted that small and medium unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) account for only $102 million in the President’s Budget Request for 2025—“a tiny fraction” of the proposed $63 billion procurement budget for the U.S. Navy.
Citing Duane Fotheringham, president of Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems business group, Reuters reported that “the Pentagon and Navy had shown their ‘intent’ to accelerate the deployment of sea drones, but … the industry wanted to see long-term funding in the defense budget.”
“We hear the demand signal,” Fotheringham said, “but we all have to work together very closely to understand what that demand is and when it will be available.”
The story highlighted HII’s Lionfish contract, which has a potential value of $347 million over the next five years, and ended with Department of Defense spokesperson Eric Pahon saying, “We know we need to keep pushing to stay ahead.”