US Navy’s autonomous submarine hunter begins operational trials
Many navies around the world are going all in on autonomous boats, ships and platforms, the Sea Hunter will be the first of many such systems that enter service after 2017.
Key takeaways
- The 132 ft (42-m) autonomous trimaran, which was christened Sea Hunter on April 9, 2016, completed its initial sea trials earlier this year.
- When it's in service, Sea Hunter will operate autonomously for around 30 to 90 days at a time out at sea and will leave and return to port on its own without the need for any intervention.
- Leidos says the sea trials will continue through the third quarter of 2017 as part of a two year test program.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2016) 'US Navy’s autonomous submarine hunter begins operational trials', 311 Institute, 18 December. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/us-navys-autonomous-submarine-hunter-begins-operational-trials/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Main contractor Leidos has announced that it is starting operational trials of the Sea Hunter, the autonomous sub-hunter it built for DARPA. The Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) will take to the seas off the coast of San Diego, California in the coming months for tests of the unmanned ship's sensors, mission control hardware and software, and the autonomy system.
The 132 ft (42-m) autonomous trimaran, which was christened Sea Hunter on April 9, 2016, completed its initial sea trials earlier this year. These trials included executing multi-waypoint missions without human intervention and tests of the Remote Supervisory Control Station (RSCS) which are designed to allow the remote supervision and control of Sea Hunter either from shore or a command vessel, such as the US Navy's newly launched 600ft fully autonomous-capable, USN Zumwalt. In addition, Sea Hunter acted as the test bed for a towed airborne anti-submarine sensor array called TALONS.
Co-funded by DARPA and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Sea Hunter is designed to autonomously track, but not yet engage, potentially hostile submarines for months at a time, and while it currently has a small operating crew on board, complete with wheel house, over time those will be phased out as the trials come to a conclusion.
When it's in service, Sea Hunter will operate autonomously for around 30 to 90 days at a time out at sea and will leave and return to port on its own without the need for any intervention. Additionally it's designed to operate safely and in accordance with maritime laws and a tenth less to operate than a conventional sub hunter.
Leidos says the sea trials will continue through the third quarter of 2017 as part of a two year test program.
"Sea Hunter is at the forefront of new autonomy technologies for the US military," says Mike Chagnon, president of the Leidos Advanced Solutions Group, "the operational testing is designed to showcase the unprecedented capabilities that this type of unmanned vessel could offer our military forces."
What this means for your organisation
Autonomy is moving into service.
Sea Hunter is starting operational trials off San Diego after initial sea trials earlier this year. Those trials included multi-waypoint missions without human intervention. It is expected to be the first of many such systems entering service after 2017, so the Autonomous Ships trend (Watch, wide use 2036) is worth tracking now.
Remote supervision is the control layer.
The Remote Supervisory Control Station is built to let people supervise and control the vessel from shore or from a command vessel. Crew on board will be phased out as the trials conclude. This points to the Tele-Operations trend (Explore, wide use 2032), where skilled people direct machines from far away.
Sensing and cost make the case.
Sea Hunter is designed to track submarines for months, operating for around 30 to 90 days at a time and leaving and returning to port on its own. It is also designed to cost a tenth less to operate than a conventional sub hunter. Sensors such as the towed TALONS array show why Autonomous Sensor Systems (Prepare, wide use 2029) sit at the centre of this shift.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- Which of our operations could run for weeks without people on site?
- Who would supervise our autonomous assets remotely, and from where?
- What rules and safety evidence will we need before crews are phased out?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
Many navies around the world are going all in on autonomous boats, ships and platforms, the Sea Hunter will be the first of many such systems that enter service after 2017.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
Read full bio
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Sources and further reading
- DARPA darpa.mil
- Office of Naval Research onr.navy.mil
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 18 December 2016. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2016). US Navy’s autonomous submarine hunter begins operational trials. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/us-navys-autonomous-submarine-hunter-begins-operational-trials/
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