Raytheon and CET demonstrate HADALUS undersea launch capability

Raytheon and Composite Energy Technologies (CET) have successfully demonstrated the undersea launch capabilities of HADALUS, a new long-endurance unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV). During a recent U.S. Navy exercise at an undersea test range, the 34-foot vehicle successfully launched a payload while remaining submerged.

This milestone represents the first time the U.S. Navy has observed this integrated capability in the water. The ability to launch payloads without surfacing allows the vehicle to perform detect, reacquire, and engage functions within a single mission while avoiding the need for a surface ship to expose its position. This supports a broader defense push toward distributed unmanned systems.

Designed for cost-efficiency, HADALUS utilizes a free-flooded, all-carbon-fiber exoskeleton. This architecture is estimated to cost between one-third and one-fifth of comparable long-endurance vehicles. The platform features a six-foot cross section and offers more than 2,000 nautical miles of endurance. The development from conceptual sketch to a functional prototype was completed in less than 18 months.