BlueHalo nets $30 million deal to back US Navy’s MESR program

Underwater robotic systems provider BlueHalo has been awarded a contract to provide systems engineering and support services for its Mission Specialist Defender systems, the Maritime Expeditionary Standoff Response (MESR) remotely operated vehicle (ROV).

The five-year contract, valued at $30 million, was issued by the Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific and supports the US Navy’s ongoing operations using the Mission Specialist Defender systems.

The award follows the US Navy’s $92.6 million MESR contract awarded to VideoRay in May 2024. The company supports the US Navy with advanced underwater robotic technology for expeditionary missions, mine countermeasures, and underwater security.

VideoRay was acquired by BlueHalo last year.

Mission Specialist Defender and other unmanned underwater robots are developed to satisfy the most challenging, mission-critical applications in mine countermeasures and other man-portable unmanned undersea applications, according to the company.

“This follow-on contract highlights the U.S. Navy’s commitment to adapting and customizing our commercial off-the-shelf defense solutions to meet the evolving needs of its expeditionary forces,” said Jonathan Moneymaker, CEO of BlueHalo.

“We are honored to continue our support in delivering cutting-edge, mission-critical ROVs that enhance maritime security, reconnaissance, and response capabilities for the fleet.”

In November last year, BlueHalo partnered with Kraken Technology Group to integrate BlueHalo’s artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML)-backed autonomous mission systems into Kraken’s littoral security platforms to develop next-generation uncrewed surface vehicles (USV) and uncrewed surface/sub-surface vehicles (USSV).

Through this partnership, the entities will work together to integrate BlueHalo’s autonomous innovations within a range of Kraken vessels—including the K3 SCOUT USV, the K4 MANTA USSV, and the K5 KRAKEN Gunship.