U.S. Navy Takes Delivery of Seahawk Unmanned Vessel

The U.S. Navy’s acquisition of the Leidos Seahawk Autonomous Surface Vessel demonstrates another significant step in the military’s adoption of unmanned platforms that use artificial intelligence to enhance operational abilities By DA Staff / 25 Jun 2021

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Follow DA

Leidos’ newest unmanned vessel, Seahawk, has completed testing and been delivered to the U.S. Navy. Seahawk is now part of the Navy’s Surface Development Squadron One which recently conducted exercises that joined manned and unmanned systems.

In 2017, the Office of Naval research awarded Leidos a $35.5 million contract to build the 145-ton trimaran as a follow-up to the original Leidos Sea Hunter that was developed by DARPA as a high-endurance platform to track submarines. Work was principally performed on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. 

Seahawk is an upgraded version of Sea Hunter, and demonstrates another significant step in the military’s adoption of unmanned platforms that use artificial intelligence to enhance the Navy’s capabilities.

In open sea testing, Seahawk performed as expected in all categories including speed, endurance, and navigation and sensor functions. The 135-foot vessel is designed for long life durability in rough water and transoceanic range, and its composite hull minimizes damage caused by corrosion.

“We didn’t just put an autonomous navigation system onto an existing ship,” said Dan Brintzinghoffer, a maritime systems expert at Leidos. 

“Every mechanical and electrical system on Seahawk has unique configurations designed to run for months at a time without maintenance or a crew.”

Posted by DA Staff Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Aurora Supports University Research on Autonomy, Battery Systems & UAM Design

Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing Company, supports NASA-backed university projects with tools, expertise, and testing to advance autonomy, battery systems, and urban air mobility (UAM) design

Jun 20, 2025
ROVs Deployed to Support Underwater Demining Across Ukraine

Deep Trekker has delivered sixteen REVOLUTION ROVs to Ukraine’s emergency services, supporting underwater demining operations through a UNDP-led initiative

Jun 20, 2025
DSI Unveils Speakers & Discussion Topics for Maritime Security Summit

Defense Strategies Institute has revealed the speaker lineup and key topics for the 2025 Maritime Security Summit, focusing on advancing U.S. maritime capabilities

Jun 20, 2025
New Lightweight EW Payload Enables Passive RF Detection

Thales has revealed an electronic warfare payload for drones, enabling all military units to passively detect and analyze RF threats in contested environments

Jun 20, 2025
Autonomous Tactical Vehicles Deployed for Live Mission Trials

Overland AI deployed its ULTRA autonomous vehicles across 15 live missions, where U.S. Army engineers executed end-to-end operations using OverWatch planning software

Jun 19, 2025
Honeywell Auxiliary Power & Environmental Control Systems Chosen for FLRAA Program

Honeywell’s advanced APU and thermal management technologies have been selected to support the U.S. Army’s next-generation Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program

Jun 19, 2025

Featured Content

Q&A: Periphery’s Approach to Cybersecurity & CRA Readiness

This Q&A explores how Periphery’s AI-powered platform secures embedded devices with real-time threat detection, supporting defence applications and EU Cyber Resilience Act compliance

Jun 18, 2025
Trillium Launches Advanced Gimbal for Medium & Long Range Reconnaissance

Trillium Engineering’s new HD45 LV R delivers advanced imaging performance in an ultra-light gimbal, optimized for long range and medium range ISR missions

Jun 11, 2025
Honeywell Unveils New Lightweight Tactical-Grade IMU

Honeywell has launched the HG3900 IMU, a compact tactical-grade unit with reduced size and power consumption while maintaining near-navigation-grade performance levels

Jun 10, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.