The United States Navy is set to deploy two medium-sized drone boats, officially transitioning them from experimental status to operational use in 2026. This announcement was made by Captain Garrett Miller at the Surface Navy Association conference in Washington on Wednesday. The vessels, known as the Sea Hunter and the Seahawk, will be integrated into fleet operations and assigned to surface forces for various maritime missions.
During his address, Captain Miller, who serves as the commodore of the Surface Development Group One, stated that these uncrewed surface vessels (MDUSVs) will “no longer be experimental vessels.” He confirmed that one of the drones is scheduled to join a carrier strike group in 2026, although he did not specify which drone or carrier group would be involved. Reports suggest that the Seahawk will be the drone integrated into the strike group.
Expansion of Uncrewed Technologies
Looking ahead, the Navy plans to establish three “early command” unmanned surface vessel divisions next week, which will evolve alongside the service’s increasing focus on unmanned technologies. Captain Miller indicated that the Navy anticipates having a total of 11 MDUSVs by 2027, with projections suggesting this number will exceed 30 by 2030. Both the Sea Hunter and Seahawks are manufactured by Leidos and have functioned as prototype vessels during various Navy exercises.
Originally developed under a DARPA program, the Sea Hunter serves as an unmanned sub-tracker and sensing platform. Following its deployment, the Navy awarded a contract for the Seahawk in 2017, with the drone being delivered to the service in 2021. Navy officials assert that these uncrewed boats can significantly enhance a range of maritime operations, including counter-mine activities, kinetic strikes, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tasks.
Despite the advancements, representatives from the Navy acknowledge that work remains to define specific operational concepts for these drones. The integration of uncrewed vessels is expected to make up a substantial portion of the Navy’s overall displacement in the coming years, particularly within the framework of the envisioned future Golden Fleet. Importantly, officials have emphasized that these uncrewed vessels will supplement existing manned ships rather than replace them.
Future of Unmanned Systems
In a separate panel discussion, Rear Admiral Christopher Alexander highlighted the anticipated exponential growth of unmanned systems in the Navy’s operational framework. He noted this trend aligns with the Pentagon’s broader initiative to leverage drone technology. “Looking at some projections moving out over the future, by 2045 we expect about 45 percent of the surface force to be unmanned systems,” Alexander stated, serving as the special assistant to the commander for naval surface forces at the US Pacific Fleet.
He underscored the urgency of this technological evolution, declaring, “The future is now. Unmanned systems, autonomous systems. AI, it’s not the future. It’s happening right now.” As the Navy embarks on this transformative journey, the deployment of drone boats represents a significant step forward in modernizing naval capabilities.
