TOTE, Hanwha Philly Shipyard Selected to Build New U.S. Missile Defense Vessels

TOTE Services and Hanwha Philly Shipyard have been selected to deliver the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s next-generation Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels (MRIV), extending the commercial shipbuilding model that has already been used to deliver the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) program.

Under the award announced Friday, TOTE Services will serve as vessel construction manager (VCM), while Hanwha Philly Shipyard will build the vessels at its Philadelphia shipyard. The ships will replace the aging Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector, which entered service in 1965 and 1970, respectively, and support missile testing and tracking missions for the Missile Defense Agency.

The first vessel, to be named Golden Defender, is scheduled for delivery in 2030.

The announcement was made during the christening ceremony for the NSMV Lone Star State, where Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought linked the new ships to the Trump administration’s broader shipbuilding and missile defense agenda.

“It is thus my honor to announce the awarding of a contract to build the newest Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel ‘Golden Defender’ right here in Philadelphia under the combined management of Hanwha Philly and TOTE Services as the vessel construction manager,” Vought said. “This new ship will not only support the President’s policy of restoring America’s Maritime Dominance, but also support the President’s ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system over the entirety of our nation.”

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the vessels will strengthen both the U.S. maritime industrial base and national defense.

“These two new vessels – built by American patriots in the city our nation was founded in – will equip our military to better protect the nation and our servicemembers from foreign threats,” Duffy said.

The program will use the same vessel construction management model that TOTE Services and Hanwha Philly Shipyard have employed on MARAD’s five-ship NSMV program. Three vessels have already been delivered, the fourth was christened Friday, and the fifth is expected in 2027.

Rather than relying on traditional government acquisition, the VCM approach places a commercial construction manager in charge of coordinating shipyards, designers, suppliers and government stakeholders. Supporters argue the model improves cost control, schedule performance and execution by applying commercial shipbuilding practices to government programs.

TOTE Services President Jeff Dixon said the company will bring the same approach to the new missile defense vessels.

“The Missile Range Instrumentation Vessel advances our national security as a centerpiece of the Administration’s Golden Dome for America initiative,” Dixon said. “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.”

Hanwha Defense USA President and CEO Michael Coulter said the ships will build on the yard’s experience with the NSMV 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,” Coulter said. “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.”

The project will be carried out as an interagency effort involving the Department of Transportation, Department of War, and Missile Defense Agency, using the existing VCM contract vehicle between MARAD and TOTE Services. According to the companies, leveraging the existing NSMV production line, supply chain and workforce is expected to reduce cost, schedule and technical risk.

The award adds to a string of major government shipbuilding programs managed by TOTE Services.

Earlier last week, the company was selected to oversee construction of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ new Medium Landing Ship fleet under a vessel construction management contract valued at up to $2.2 billion. Like the MRIV program, the Navy’s Medium Landing Ship effort relies on a commercial construction manager to coordinate shipyards, suppliers and government stakeholders rather than using a traditional government-led acquisition model.

For Hanwha Philly Shipyard, the award further strengthens an orderbook that has expanded significantly since South Korea’s Hanwha acquired the former Philly Shipyard in late 2024. In addition to completing the NSMV program, the yard is building LNG-fueled containerships for Matson, LNG carriers and Jones Act product tankers, while Hanwha has announced plans to invest billions of dollars to expand the Philadelphia facility as part of broader efforts to rebuild U.S. shipbuilding capacity.

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