USN receives Seahawk unmanned vessel
Composite hull of Seahawk, pictured during construction. (Photo: Leidos)
The design of the Seahawk medium USV reflects lessons learned from the predecessor Sea Hunter vessel.
Leidos announced on 7 April that it has delivered its Seahawk autonomous Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) to the USN.
It joins the USN Surface Development Squadron One (SURFDEVRON) in San Diego, California.
Seahawk was built under a $35.5 million contract awarded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in December 2017.
The result is a ‘forward-deployed and rapid-response asset in the global maritime surveillance network,’ Leidos noted in a 7 April statement.
Seahawk (originally known as Sea Hunter II) is a long-range autonomous surface vessel with a composite trimaran hull. The MUSV displaces 145t and its twin diesel engines carry up to 14,000 gallons of fuel.
Like the similarly sized Sea Hunter (previously built by Leidos for the ONR), Seahawk offers ‘significantly increased capabilities compared to smaller USVs in terms of range, seakeeping and payload capacity’, the manufacturer stated.
Leidos also noted that Seahawk includes upgraded electrical systems, a payload mounting system and a test operator control station. The design of the MUSV reflects ‘an evaluation of over 300 lessons learned from Sea Hunter’, it added.
Dan Brintzinghoffer, Leidos VP for maritime solutions, said: ‘We didn't just put an autonomous navigation system onto an existing ship. Every mechanical and electrical system on Seahawk has unique configurations designed to run for months at a time without maintenance or a crew.’
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)]()
Cummings Aerospace showcases Hellhound loitering munition designed for US Army’s LASSO programme (video)
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
-
![SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale]()
SOF Week 2025: PDW unveils attritable FPV drone for SOF operations at scale
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions]()
SOF Week 2025: Teledyne FLIR white paper provides guidance on reusable loitering munitions
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
-
![SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America]()
SOF Week 2025: Kraken Technology group debuts K3 Scout USV in North America
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
-
![Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military]()
Palladyne AI and Red Cat to demonstrate capabilities for autonomous drone swarms to the US military
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.
-
![Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures]()
Jammer resistant drone designs spark search for countermeasures
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has driven another stage of evolution for drones and the counter measures to defend against them.
