Leidos announced the start of Australian production for Sea Archer, its next-generation small uncrewed surface vessel (USV). The milestone represents a major step in bringing Leidos’ advanced autonomous maritime technology to the Indo-Pacific region, supporting both AUKUS objectives and the evolving mission requirements of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
By shifting into local manufacturing, Leidos is accelerating the transfer of proven U.S. capability to Australia. The initiative builds on the company’s 50-year partnership with the U.S. Navy and its record of more than 120,000 fully autonomous nautical miles at sea.
Advanced Autonomy at the Core
At the center of Sea Archer is LAVA, Leidos’ cutting-edge autonomy platform. LAVA enables high-speed, long-range missions and adaptive operations in complex maritime environments. Sea Archer is fully integrated with Leidos’ broader battle management technologies, including ADEPT and AlphaMosaic, both of which leverage AI to enable distributed, autonomous fleet operations. The result is a system designed to be intelligent, flexible, and cost-effective.
Multi-Mission Capability with Local Impact
Sea Archer is engineered for both endurance and versatility. The vessel can reach sprint speeds of up to 40 knots and achieve a range of 1,500 nautical miles. Its 900kg payload bay supports a wide array of mission profiles, including strike, logistics resupply, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), and electromagnetic deception operations.
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The Australian program emphasizes sovereign capability, with contributions from across the local supply chain — spanning construction, payload integration, autonomy software, and sustainment. Oceans Rivers Lakes, based on the NSW Central Coast, has been contracted to build the first aluminium vessel, with construction already underway.
Leidos Australia’s technical team will oversee the integration of its proven autonomy software, already successfully deployed across 12 different USV platforms.
Leadership Perspective
Leidos Australia Chief Executive, Paul Chase, said, “Given Australia’s vast northern approaches, platforms with coverage, endurance and agility are critical. The capability to monitor large areas, detect security threats, navigate hazardous environments and provide continuous uncrewed support enhances our nation’s security posture, especially in today’s geostrategic environment.”
“We’re aiming to deliver a rapid production capability, and because of its easy-to-build aluminium hull, can have Sea Archer built at multiple shipyards across Australia. This approach will allow us to quickly deliver flexible, adaptable and affordable maritime solutions, using our fleet or customer vessels, to support mission needs,” he added.