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Sea Hunter (and Seahawk)

Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a legacy US defense and IT prime, designs and builds the Sea Hunter-class Medium Displacement Uncrewed Surface Vessel, recorded in the…

Track Sea Hunter (and Seahawk)
Manufacturer
Leidos
Form factor
maritime_surface
Maturity
production
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
1
Website
leidos.com ↗

Overview

Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a legacy US defense and IT prime, designs and builds the Sea Hunter-class Medium Displacement Uncrewed Surface Vessel, recorded in the maritime form factor as the legacy-prime surface-naval-autonomy entry, the surface-tier analog to HII's REMUS legacy-prime subsea program competing against new-defense entrants such as Anduril and Saronic. The Sea Hunter is a 132-foot trimaran of roughly 135 to 145 long tons with about a 10,000-nautical-mile range and 30-to-90-day endurance, originating in DARPA's Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel program, which awarded Leidos a $59 million design-and-build contract in 2012, with the vessel christened on April 7, 2016 and transferred from DARPA to the Office of Naval Research on February 1, 2018; a second vessel, Seahawk, was built under a $35.5 million ONR contract and delivered on April 7, 2021 incorporating more than 300 lessons learned. The registry records it at production, operational maturity: the US Navy is moving Sea Hunter and Seahawk from experimental to operational status in fiscal 2026, with the commander of Surface Development Squadron One stating on January 15, 2026 that they will be under fleet control and one vessel, reported to be Seahawk, set to deploy with a carrier strike group in 2026. A correction is load-bearing: there is no distinct larger-displacement Sea Hunter II successor, since Sea Hunter II is an informal name for Seahawk, the same-class second vessel, so the registry treats them as two vessels of one MDUSV class rather than implying a heavier successor. Navy procurement targets of 11 vessels by 2027 and more than 30 by 2030 are stated force-structure targets rather than delivered inventory and are cap-flagged as projections, and the carrier-strike-group vessel identity is press attribution the Navy did not officially confirm.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
production(Full-scale production deployment with repeat customers.)
Verified deployments
1 deployment on file
Sources on file
4 sources, view all

Key facts

Length

132 ft (40 m)

Weight

~135-145 long tons

Top speed

27 kt

Range

~10,000 nm at 12 kt

Endurance

30-90 days

Drive type

twin diesel

Production target

11 vessels by 2027; 30+ by 2030 (projected force-structure targets)

Autonomy level

Medium Displacement Uncrewed Surface Vessel (MDUSV)

Specs

Notes

Verified: Leidos (NYSE: LDOS; legacy US defense/IT prime) designs + builds the Sea Hunter-class MDUSV from the DARPA ACTUV program. Two vessels: Sea Hunter (christened 2016) + Seahawk (delivered 2021). The LEGACY-PRIME surface-naval-autonomy entry - the surface-tier analog to HII REMUS (legacy-prime subsea), competing with new-defense entrants (Anduril, Saronic) on naval autonomy., 2026 operational handover (verified): The US Navy is moving Sea Hunter + Seahawk from EXPERIMENTAL to OPERATIONAL in FY2026: Capt. Garrett Miller (commander, Surface Development Squadron One) stated Jan 15 2026 they 'will actually be under fleet control'; one MDUSV (reported by Defense News to be Seahawk) is to deploy with a carrier strike group in 2026. maturity=production / operational., CORRECTION ('Sea Hunter II' = Seahawk, NOT a distinct larger successor): There is NO distinct larger-displacement 'Sea Hunter II' successor: 'Sea Hunter II' is an informal name for SEAHAWK - the SAME-class second MDUSV, not a bigger next-gen vessel. Recorded as two vessels of ONE MDUSV class; do NOT imply a separate heavier successor. (The $35.5M vs $43.5M figures are contract-phase variance on the same Seahawk build.), Cap-flag (procurement targets are projections): Navy MDUSV procurement targets (11 by 2027; 30+ by 2030; ~45% of surface force unmanned by 2045) are STATED FORCE-STRUCTURE TARGETS, NOT delivered inventory - cap-flag as projected/programmatic. The carrier-strike-group vessel identity (Seahawk) is press attribution; the Navy did not officially specify.

Range

10000 nm

Specs

Sea Hunter: 132ft (40m) trimaran MDUSV (~135-145 long tons), twin diesel, 27 kt top speed, ~10,000 nm range at 12 kt, 30-90 day endurance. Origin: DARPA ACTUV (Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel) - DARPA awarded Leidos (then SAIC) a $59M design/build contract (2012); christened Apr 7 2016; DARPA->ONR transfer Feb 1 2018. Seahawk: the 2nd vessel ($35.5M ONR; delivered Apr 7 2021; 300+ lessons-learned). Made by Leidos (NYSE: LDOS).

Max speed

27 kt

Weight kg

145000

Form Factor

maritime (autonomous SURFACE vessel / Medium Displacement USV (MDUSV); defense; legacy prime)

Data & sources

Press releases

1

Web sources

3

4 sources backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for Sea Hunter (and Seahawk). Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (1)

  • Sea Hunter (and Seahawk) at San Diegooperational

    Sea Hunter (ACTUV) is the US Navy's first fully autonomous unmanned surface vessel (USV), built by Leidos and christened April 7, 2016 in Portland, Oregon.

Sea Hunter (and Seahawk) on the deployment map

Where Sea Hunter (and Seahawk) is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Deployment-verified media (1)

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Leidos

Leidos' naval-autonomy film featuring its Sea Hunter medium-displacement uncrewed surface vessel family and LAVA autonomy architecture. A brand and positioning piece, not raw mission footage.

From deployment: San Diego

Safety record

No incidents on record for Sea Hunter (and Seahawk).

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (4)

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Hunter
  2. https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/no-longer-experimental-navy-to-deploy-drone-boats-this-year-official-says/
  3. https://www.defensedaily.com/leidos-delivers-seahawk-usv-navy/navy-usmc/
  4. https://www.leidos.com/insights/seahawk-joins-surface-development-squadron-one

Common questions

What is Sea Hunter (and Seahawk)?
Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a legacy US defense and IT prime, designs and builds the Sea Hunter-class Medium Displacement Uncrewed Surface Vessel, recorded in the maritime form factor as the legacy-prime surface-naval-autonomy entry, the surface-tier analog to HII's REMUS legacy-prime subsea program competing against new-defense entrants such as Anduril and Saronic. The Sea Hunter is a 132-foot trimaran of roughly 135 to 145 long tons with about a 10,000-nautical-mile range and 30-to-90-day endurance, originating in DARPA's Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel program, which awarded Leidos a $59 million design-and-build contract in 2012, with the vessel christened on April 7, 2016 and transferred from DARPA to the Office of Naval Research on February 1, 2018; a second vessel, Seahawk, was built under a $35.5 million ONR contract and delivered on April 7, 2021 incorporating more than 300 lessons learned. The registry records it at production, operational maturity: the US Navy is moving Sea Hunter and Seahawk from experimental to operational status in fiscal 2026, with the commander of Surface Development Squadron One stating on January 15, 2026 that they will be under fleet control and one vessel, reported to be Seahawk, set to deploy with a carrier strike group in 2026. A correction is load-bearing: there is no distinct larger-displacement Sea Hunter II successor, since Sea Hunter II is an informal name for Seahawk, the same-class second vessel, so the registry treats them as two vessels of one MDUSV class rather than implying a heavier successor. Navy procurement targets of 11 vessels by 2027 and more than 30 by 2030 are stated force-structure targets rather than delivered inventory and are cap-flagged as projections, and the carrier-strike-group vessel identity is press attribution the Navy did not officially confirm.
How much does Sea Hunter (and Seahawk) cost?
Sea Hunter (and Seahawk)'s price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Sea Hunter (and Seahawk) from Leidos. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is Sea Hunter (and Seahawk) actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Sea Hunter (and Seahawk) is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
What are the specs of Sea Hunter (and Seahawk)?
Sea Hunter (and Seahawk)'s recorded specifications on the DEPLOY registry: Range: 10000 nm; Max speed: 27 kt; Weight: 145000 kg. See the Specs section for the full sourced set.
Who makes Sea Hunter (and Seahawk)?
Sea Hunter (and Seahawk) is made by Leidos, based in Reston, VA, founded in 1969.
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-15

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-15

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: production

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: maritime_surface

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base
1
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Sea Hunter (and Seahawk).

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