Kristen Smith 
- The ships will rise at Hanwha’s Philadelphia yard, with TOTE Services managing construction
- The first vessel, named Golden Defender, is due in 2030
- The MRIV will replace the aging Pacific Tracker and Pacific Collector
Hanwha Philly Shipyard and TOTE Services have been selected to deliver the Missile Defense Agency’s Missile Range Instrumentation Vessels, or MRIV. Hanwha said Monday the ships will be built at its Philadelphia yard, with vessel construction management handled by TOTE Services.
Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, announced the award at the christening of the Lone Star State. He named the first vessel Golden Defender and said it will serve MDA in support of the Golden Dome for America missile defense program.
The MRIV will take over from the Pacific Tracker and the Pacific Collector, which have been carrying out missile range instrumentation missions for decades. Delivery of the first MRIV is scheduled for 2030.
How Will the MRIV Program Be Built and Managed?
Construction falls under the existing vessel construction manager contract between the Maritime Administration, or MARAD, and TOTE Services. The two companies will apply the same commercially managed model they use on the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, or NSMV, program for MARAD. Hanwha Philly Shipyard will draw on the hull form, production line and supply chain already running at the yard for that class.
The program will be executed as an interagency effort involving the Department of Transportation, the Department of War and MDA.
Three of the five NSMV ships have been delivered. The Lone Star State is the fourth and is due in the coming months. The fifth is expected in mid-2027. The companies said the vessel construction manager approach lowers acquisition costs by at least 50 percent against traditional government acquisition, in part by setting requirements early and clearing change orders quickly.
Michael Coulter, president and CEO of Hanwha Defense USA, described the MRIV as a new version of the NSMV.
How Does the MRIV Award Build on Hanwha’s Philadelphia Investment?
Hanwha bought the Philadelphia yard in 2024 for about $100 million and has committed $5 billion toward two additional docks and three quays. The NSMV program grew the site from a few dozen workers to more than 2,000 production employees.
Hanwha Philly Shipyard took its first U.S. Navy work in March, joining Hanwha Defense USA as a subcontractor to Vard Marine US on concept design for the next-generation logistics ship program.
