# DefenseScoop: Navy deploys unmanned surface vessel with carrier strike group DefenseScoop reports acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the Theodore Roosevelt group deployed Oct. 8 with the vessel. Its model remains unclear. Published 2026-10-16 by TGOs. Canonical: https://tgos.io/news/2026/10/16/defensescoop-navy-deploys-unmanned-surface-vessel-with-carrier-strike/ The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group deployed Oct. 8 with an unmanned surface vessel, acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said, DefenseScoop reports.[1] Speaking at an AUSA conference panel, Cao described the vessel as both medium-sized and large-size.[1] He called the Theodore Roosevelt group the first carrier strike group to deploy with a large-size unmanned surface vessel.[1] ## Why it matters Leidos manufactured Sea Hunter and Seahawk, original medium unmanned surface vessel prototypes delivered for real-world surface fleet missions this year, DefenseScoop reports.[1] Cao did not identify the deployed vessel type, and Navy spokespersons did not clarify the model when DefenseScoop asked.[1] Asked whether either prototype was deploying with the group, an unnamed Leidos source referred DefenseScoop to the Navy, which now owns the vessels.[1] *Clarification, November 4, 2026:* DefenseScoop revised its article after we published. The brief is unchanged. ## Sources 1. DefenseScoop: US Navy deploys unmanned maritime drone to support carrier strike group in historic first