The US Navy is seeking to increase its inventory of Hammerhead underwater mines under an existing contract with General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS).
GDMS secured a $92.9-million navy contract in 2022 to design, test, and deliver Hammerhead Encapsulated Effector systems and prototypes, followed by a $20.7-million modification in 2024 to exercise an option for the Hammerhead systems.
While the pre-solicitation notice by the Naval Sea Systems Command did not specify the exact additional quantity needed, it noted that the systems are intended to meet the service’s operational requirements for fiscal year 2027, beginning in October 2026.
It also determined that GDMS is the only source that can deliver the expected systems within the required timeframe.
Anti-Submarine Weapon
The Hammerhead detects, classifies, and engages enemy submarine threats.
As a moored-torpedo variant mine system, it anchors itself underwater in ports, straits, and other maritime chokepoints, waiting for sensors to detect and confirm hostile submarines before launching a Mk 54 torpedo as a kinetic effector.
Because of the Hammerhead’s ability to operate autonomously post-deployment, the navy has been exploring uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) as the mine system’s potential launch platform, according to Defence Blog.
One of the potential UUVs that can launch anti-submarine mines is the Orca, an oversized autonomous platform made by Boeing, with the navy having received its first of six ordered prototypes in December 2023.
The Hammerhead is one of the navy’s active mine programs, including the shallow-water Mk 68 Clandestine Delivered Mine (repurposing Mk 67 SLMM warheads) and Quickstrike Extended Range, which uses a 2,000-pound (907-kilogram) general-purpose bomb.
