RESTON, Va., July 14, 2026 — Metron has begun fabrication of the Lancet™ uncrewed undersea vehicle, the XL-class autonomous system it is delivering for the Defense Innovation Unit’s Combat Autonomous Maritime Platform (CAMP) program. Metalwork is underway across the vehicle, with fabrication started on the nose, tail, and midsection.

CAMP addresses a clear operational need: autonomous undersea systems capable of deploying large payloads across extended ranges in contested environments. The program calls for a vehicle that can transit 1,400 nautical miles, operate autonomously at depths beyond 200 meters, and work through open interfaces with government and third-party control software. The CAMP demonstration is scheduled for March 2027.

Metron leads the CAMP team as prime contractor. Lancet combines Metron’s mission-proven ANCC autonomy software, Cellula Robotics’ hydrogen fuel cell-powered Guardian UUV, modular payload capacity, and open interfaces built to integrate with Navy systems. Integer Technologies contributes vehicle health monitoring, and General Dynamics Applied Physical Sciences contributes payload delivery.

“Starting fabrication is where a program becomes real,” said Van Gurley, President and CEO of Metron. “The design work is behind us and we are bending metal. Lancet pairs proven technologies from a strong team, and we are on track to demonstrate the integrated system for CAMP in 2027.”

Fabrication milestones

  • Nose, tail, and midsection: underway now
  • Payload module and integration to follow through the fall
  • Integrated sea trials in early 2027, ahead of the March 2027 CAMP demonstration

About Metron

Metron is an advanced technology company with more than 40 years of proven performance in national security. Founded in 1984 with roots in applied mathematics and statistics, Metron turns rigorous first-principles scientific problem solving into operational capability, from early concept through rapidly deployed programs of record in the most complex operational environments.

Metron’s work spans Decision Superiority; Resilient Mission Autonomy; Sensor Perception, Fusion & Target Custody, and Mission Systems. The company’s reputation is built on trustworthy solutions across the maritime, ground, air, and space domains, supporting mission areas including decision support under uncertainty, perception, multi-source data fusion, maritime autonomy, undersea warfare, advanced sensing and tracking, and test and evaluation.

The company’s culture and success are built on world-class technical expertise, deep domain knowledge, cross-disciplinary teams, and an unwavering mission focus. This formula consistently delivers solutions that end users can trust in complex, ambiguous, and demanding situations.

Metron is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with offices in Portland, Oregon, and on-site support locations across the country.   metsci.com

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Shelby Condray
Metron-Info@metsci.com