Sea Hunter in new performance trials
Leidos has completed initial performance trials of Sea Hunter, a technology demonstration vessel being developed for DARPA's Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) programme, the company announced on 25 July.
The at-sea tests were conducted off the coast of San Diego, California. According to Leidos, the 132ft trimaran met or surpassed all performance objectives for fuel consumption, acceleration/deceleration, seakeeping, stability, manoeuvrability and speed. The tests also demonstrated the reliability of the mechanical systems in an open-ocean environment.
Sea Hunter has been designed to operate for extended periods at sea with no person on board and only sparse supervisory control throughout deployment. The initial vessel tests required a pilot on board the ship; future tests are planned with no personnel on board.
Tests in the coming months are scheduled to include testing of sensors and the vessel's autonomy suite, maritime collision regulations compliance, and proof-of-concept demonstrations for US Navy missions.
More from Uncrewed Vehicles
-
![Shaping the future of defence: What 2025 holds for the global drone market]()
Shaping the future of defence: What 2025 holds for the global drone market
The UAV market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with innovations in technology and battlefield applications driving demand across military sectors. From the battlefields of Ukraine to NATO exercises and beyond, drones are transforming how wars are fought and supported.
-
![Maris-Tech confirms customers signing up for Jupiter Drones codec and AI-powered system]()
Maris-Tech confirms customers signing up for Jupiter Drones codec and AI-powered system
Launched at AUSA in October, the company’s multi-stream video codec is attempting to bring a new lease of life to drone technology through its AI accelerator.
-
![AUSA 2024: Quantum-Systems targets big 2025 with UAS developments]()
AUSA 2024: Quantum-Systems targets big 2025 with UAS developments
Quantum-Systems has been upgrading its UAS family, with new versions of the Vector, Reliant and Twister drones set for release throughout 2025.
-
![US Army accelerates acquisition and field of company-level sUAS]()
US Army accelerates acquisition and field of company-level sUAS
The service has been using a Directed Requirement (DR) approach to speed up the deployment of a Medium Range Reconnaissance capability.
