#Maryland #Leidos #Maritime Autonomy #Havoc

Leidos and Havoc Partner to Advance Autonomy in Defense

In a significant push towards enhancing operational capabilities in defense technology, Leidos, a major player in the industry, has teamed up with Havoc to integrate unmanned systems and collaborative autonomy solutions. This partnership was officially announced at the Sea-Air-Space Expo held in National Harbor, Maryland, on April 20, 2026. The collaboration aims to streamline how unmanned vehicles operate in both maritime and aerial environments, allowing a singular operator to manage multiple platforms across expansive and contested areas without compromising effectiveness.

The Vision for Integrated Operations

The partnership focuses on deploying Havoc's cutting-edge collaborative autonomy software alongside Leidos’ renowned Autonomous Vessel Architecture (LAVA). This innovative approach is designed to empower unmanned surface vessels, starting with the Sea Archer, a mission-configurable vehicle developed for action in contested environments. The Sea Archer's integration into the combined systems enables continuous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities thereby extending the reach of fleets while minimizing risks to human operators.

By leveraging the strengths of both companies, they aim to create a framework that allows distributed systems to sense, decide, and act in a coordinated manner across air, surface, and sub-surface domains—even in conditions where communications may be compromised.

Upcoming Demonstrations

Looking forward, Leidos and Havoc plan to showcase their integrated capabilities during a joint operational validation in the fourth quarter of 2026. This validation will illustrate how unmanned aerial and surface vehicles can function cohesively under a unified autonomous command system, effectively demonstrating how collaborative autonomous operations can scale in real-world scenarios.

Cindy Gruensfelder, President of Leidos Defense, emphasized the necessity of rapid and effective inter-operations across domains for the future of warfare, stating, "The future of warfare will be defined by how quickly and effectively systems can operate together across domains.