Brenda Marie Rivers
A Leidos-built unmanned vessel called Sea Hunter has completed a journey from San Diego, Calif., to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of an extended testing effort by the Office of Naval Research.
The 132-foot medium displacement unmanned surface vessel traveled autonomously throughout the journey, save for electrical and propulsion system checks conducted by crew members of an escort ship, Leidos said Thursday.
The ONR has been facilitating tests for the trimaran since 2016 and will continue evaluating the ship's long-duration and mission package capabilities this year.
"The recent long-range mission is the first of its kind and demonstrates to the U.S. Navy that autonomy technology is ready to move from the developmental and experimental stages to advanced mission testing,†said Gerry Fasano, president of Leidos’ defense group.
The company previously secured a $43.5M award for Sea Hunter II and is currently constructing the updated vessel in Mississippi.
