US selects construction team for new missile range instrumentation vessels

July 20, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

TOTE Services and Hanwha Philly Shipyard (HPSI) have been selected to deliver the US Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) missile range instrumentation vessels (MRIV).

As informed, TOTE Services will serve as vessel construction manager (VCM), and HPSI will build the ships at its Philadelphia shipyard.

The selection of a VCM for the MRIV program comes as the federal government sharpens its focus on rebuilding the US maritime industrial base, with shipbuilding capacity now recognized as a major national security priority. The MRIV will replace the Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, which currently support missile range instrumentation missions, and were constructed in 1965 and 1970, respectively.

TOTE Services and HPSI will use the same commercially managed VCM model they are currently deploying under the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program for the US Maritime Administration (MARAD). That five-vessel program has already delivered three ships, with the fourth, Lone Star State, christened on July 7 and set for delivery in the coming months

The fifth and final vessel is expected to be delivered in mid-2027. The NSMV program has demonstrated how commercial management brings stronger cost control, schedule performance, and execution to complex vessel classes, according to TOTE.

“The Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel advances our national security as a centerpiece of the Administration’s Golden Dome for America initiative. TOTE Services’ Vessel Construction Management model has proven to be a success in the National Security Multi-mission Vessel program from the Department of Transportation and MARAD. Our team will bring that same skill, urgency and process to meet the moment and the mission,” said Jeff Dixon, President of TOTE Services.

“The MRIV program is a direct result of the ingenuity and coordination of the federal interagency team from the Department of War, Missile Defense Agency, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Transportation, MARAD, and all of the government leaders who have championed this approach. Together, we will deliver the next generation of U.S. defense capability and we are honored to be selected for this critical shipbuilding program.”

“Hanwha is excited to build new versions of the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel to support such a critical defense function for our homeland,” said Michael Coulter, President and CEO of Hanwha Defense USA.

“With these new ships, Hanwha Philly Shipyard is continuing to evolve in complexity as we look to deliver on our ambition to become a premier U.S. shipbuilder. As we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are building the next generation of our nation’s ships in the same city where America built its first Navy ships.”

HPSI will build the MRIV using the proven hull form, active production line, existing supply chain, and skilled workforce already in place at its yard, under the existing VCM contract vehicle between MARAD and TOTE Services.

This project will be executed as an interagency collaboration between the Department of Transportation, the Department of War, and the Missile Defense Agency.

The first MRIV is scheduled for delivery in 2030.

To remind, the US Navy recently awarded a $2.2 billion contract to TOTE Services for vessel construction management (VCM) to oversee the acquisition of the new medium landing ships (LSM).