Hydroid Inc. has been awarded a $7 million U.S. Navy contract modification for work on the MK18 Kingfish underwater drone.

The modification to the firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract exercises a third-year option for engineering support and training services for the Kingfish's Mod 1 and Mod 2.

The Kingfish systems support very shallow water missions, very shallow mine countermeasures and underwater object localization tools.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division is the contracting entity and has a requirement for maintenance, repairs, alterations and upgrades of the MK 18 family, as well as other Navy drones and components.

The Kingfish offers better endurance and area coverage rates than the Swordfish system it replaces.

The drones are pre-programmed and designed to scan for targets or threats while offering faster post-mission analysis.