TRL 6 — Concept Prototype in Testing — Diamondhead, MS

World's First Float-and-Fly Maritime Drone

HALIA combines extended sea persistence, rapid airborne repositioning, and runway-free launch from the water — giving distributed maritime teams a new way to find, track, and respond to undersea threats.

▶  See HALIA in Action ASW Mission Profile → Mine Countermeasures →
30+ Days
Modeled sea persistence target
100+ mph
Modeled flight speed target
Small-Boat
Deployable
Designed for two-person expeditionary launch
ASW First
Built for mobile, sea-level sensing
Threat Environment

Naval Warfare
Is Changing

The United States and its allies face a generational shift in maritime threats New capabilities, new doctrine, and new technology are not optional — they are existential necessities for maintaining maritime superiority.

Indo-Pacific Competition

China's expanding fleet demands persistent, low-cost maritime surveillance across vast contested waters and critical strategic chokepoints.

Surveillance Gaps

Critical chokepoints lack persistent coverage — leaving allied fleets operationally blind in the zones where submarine threats are highest.

Unsustainable Costs

The P-8A Poseidon costs $200M+ per aircraft. High-tempo persistent ASW patrol is financially untenable at the scale the threat demands.

Drone Proliferation

Adversaries deploy attritable drone swarms and A2/AD systems. The war in Ukraine has shown that unmanned systems win. The Navy must keep pace.

Capability Analysis

The Gap HALIA
Was Designed to Fill

Maritime forces need persistent sensing without committing crewed aircraft, large ships, or short-lived disposable sensor fields to every search area. Traditional airborne ASW is powerful but expensive and payload-limited. Persistent USVs can remain at sea, but they cannot rapidly reposition by air. Static sonobuoy fields can detect and localize, but they expire in place.

HALIA was designed for the gap between those systems: persistent enough to wait at sea, fast enough to reposition by air, and deployable enough to operate from small boats and distributed maritime teams.

UAV — Aerial Drone
Persistence
Hours
Top Speed
Fast
Mission Flexibility
Medium
Detectability
High
✦ HALIA FILLS THE GAP
HALIA — Both Domains
Persistence
30+ Days
Top Speed
100+ mph
Mission Flexibility
High
Detectability
Low
USV — Surface Vessel
Persistence
Months
Top Speed
Slow
Mission Flexibility
Low
Detectability
Moderate
Expeditionary Deployment

Built for Expeditionary
Deployment

HALIA is designed to move from prototype to fleet-relevant use without specialized launch infrastructure.

HALIA is designed for launch and recovery from small boats, expeditionary detachments, and distributed surface teams. It does not require a runway, shipboard catapult, or large recovery vessel. The system is being designed around simple field procedures so a two-person team can prepare, launch, and recover HALIA with minimal support equipment.

Small-Boat Launch

Designed for deployment from small surface craft rather than fixed infrastructure.

HALIA deployment from small boat

Two-Person Handling

Built around simple setup, launch, and recovery procedures for small teams.

Two-person HALIA handling on shore

Fleet-Relevant Transition

Designed to support rapid testing, iteration, and operational deployment in real maritime environments.

HALIA field command station
The Solution

Introducing HALIA

The world's first Float-Fly-Float unmanned drone. A persistent sea-air combat system built to operate with low detectability for weeks and respond in seconds in the world's most contested maritime environments.

01
Phase One

Float

HALIA floats low on the water in motors-off loiter, conserving battery power while maintaining persistent presence in the operating area. Its low profile, composite body, and lack of hot exhaust make detection extremely challenging in cluttered maritime environments.

HALIA stealth float mode
02
Phase Two

Skate

When it is time to reposition, HALIA accelerates across the surface using its HoverFoil™ transition architecture. Testing is progressing toward launch and recovery in increasingly challenging sea-state conditions.

HALIA skating on water
03
Phase Three

Fly

HALIA transitions from the water into high-speed flight, rapidly repositioning sensors or payloads across the battlespace without requiring a runway or launch vessel.

HALIA liftoff
04
Phase Four

Float Again

HALIA is designed to execute controlled water landings, return to sea-level sensing, and prepare for future relaunch cycles as testing progresses.

HALIA floating on water — head-on view

Stealth Floating

Only ~1 foot of body above water when floating. Extremely difficult to detect by radar or visually, enabling covert persistent presence in contested zones.

Patented HoverFoil™

US Patent 12,221,210 B2. Variable buoyancy architecture enabling HALIA's water-to-air transition. Additional patents filed in the US and Europe.

High Sea State Ops

Takeoff and land in 6-foot seas and 17+ knot winds — conditions that ground every other maritime drone platform currently in operation or development.

Mission Agnostic

18 lb payload capacity configurable for ISR sensors, comms relay, ASW sonobuoys, sonar arrays, strike payloads, or custom mission packages for any operation.

Attritable by Design

At a fraction of the cost of a P-8A Poseidon ($200M+) or a manned helicopter, HALIA can be deployed into high-threat zones where risking a $200M aircraft — or a human crew — is not an option.

Force Multiplier

Acts as a communications hub and sensor relay, dramatically amplifying the effectiveness of surface ships, submarines, and aerial drone networks already in the fleet.

HALIA drone on water
HALIA — PROTOTYPE TEST — SURFACE SKATE MODE
Core Innovation

The Innovation:
HoverFoil™

HALIA's core breakthrough is the transition from sea persistence to airborne speed.

HALIA is not simply a drone that floats or a USV that moves quickly. Its key innovation is the transition architecture that lets the system build speed on the water, reduce surface drag, and launch without a runway or catapult.

HoverFoil™ is designed to enable HALIA's unique operating loop: float quietly at sea, accelerate across the surface, launch into flight, reposition rapidly, and land back on the water.

HoverFoil design rendering
Water-to-air transition

Designed to bridge sea-level loiter and airborne speed

Reduced launch infrastructure

No runway, catapult, or large ship required

Mission flexibility

Enables repositionable payloads instead of static sensor placement

US Patent 12,221,210 B2
HALIA prototype from above on water
Performance Specifications

Modeled
Performance Targets

HALIA's current performance targets are based on engineering models and prototype test progression. The system has demonstrated float, takeoff, flight, and water landing events, with testing continuing toward full repeated mission cycles and expanded sea-state conditions. Final performance varies by payload, sea state, communications cadence, and repositioning frequency.

30+ Days
Sea Persistence
Modeled target — motors-off float mode, battery capacity, and mission duty cycle
100+ mph
Flight Speed
Modeled target, supported by ongoing prototype flight testing
120NM
Flight Range
Modeled target — current battery and payload assumptions
<60sec
Float to Airborne
✓ Demonstrated in prototype testing
18lbs
Payload Capacity
Modeled target — mission-configurable, including deployable sonar
6 ftSeas
Sea State Target
Target test envelope — validation testing progressing toward challenging conditions
US Patent
12,221,210 B2

HoverFoil™ Technology — LeVanta's patented variable buoyancy system is the core innovation enabling HALIA's unique float-to-flight transition. Additional IP filed in the US and Europe.

Live Demonstration

See HALIA
in Action

This footage shows a planned short-hop test: HALIA skating across the surface, getting airborne, and landing before the waterway ended — exactly as intended. Not a long-range demonstration, just a controlled validation of the Float–Skate–Fly sequence using a real prototype in real water.

HALIA — Test Flight Footage
SURFACE
50 m
150 m
▶ CZ LAYER
300 m
450 m
DEEP CHANNEL
Anti-Submarine Warfare

ASW: Repositionable
Sea-Level Sensing

HALIA is designed to turn static search areas into mobile acoustic coverage.

Airborne ASW can deploy powerful sonobuoy fields, but those fields are temporary, payload-limited, and fixed once deployed. HALIA introduces a different pattern: persistent sea-level sensing combined with rapid airborne repositioning. With a deployable sonar lowered from the belly of the vehicle, HALIA can land, listen, classify, relay, and then relaunch to overtake a moving contact. Instead of waiting for a short-lived field to expire in place, HALIA is designed to reposition ahead of the projected track and reacquire from the water.

1
Land
HALIA lands on the water at the search area after transiting by air.
Designed For
›
2
Lower Sonar
Deploys sonar from the belly of the vehicle to listen for acoustic signatures.
Modeled Target
›
3
Listen
Passive and active sonar classify contacts at depth. Motors-off minimizes self-noise.
Persistent
›
4
Relay
Transmits contact data to fleet command in real time over encrypted datalink.
Real-Time
›
5
Relaunch
Accelerates and launches from the water to overtake the contact track.
Seconds
›
6
Overtake & Reacquire
Repositions ahead of projected track, lands, and reacquires the contact from the water.
Mobile Search
Mobile Acoustic Search
Repositionable

Designed to reposition with the contact instead of remaining fixed in place. HALIA's modeled flight speed allows it to overtake and reacquire fast-moving submerged threats.

Sonobuoy Field Cost Comparison
~$500K

A single MAC-style sonobuoy field can represent roughly $500K in expendable sensing that may last only hours. HALIA is designed to change that cost curve by placing a reusable, repositionable sensing platform at sea level for extended periods.

P-8 Poseidon Relationship
Complementary

HALIA does not replace the P-8. It helps preserve high-value aircraft, crew time, and sonobuoy payloads for the moments when they matter most.

ZONE ALPHA
LANE 01
LANE 02
▶ SWEEP ACTIVE
LANE 03
LANE 04
ZONE CLEAR
Mine Countermeasures

Mine Countermeasures:
Speed to Threat

HALIA can reduce transit time to suspected mine areas without sending crewed vessels into the threat zone.

Many mine countermeasure systems are persistent but slow to reach the operating area. HALIA is designed to fly rapidly to the suspected mine zone, land on the water, support payload operations, and then reposition by air to the next sector. That speed-to-threat advantage can help distributed teams cover more area while keeping crewed vessels farther from the mine danger area.

1
Deploy Swarm
Multiple HALIAs launched simultaneously to blanket a wide threat area. No support vessel required in the zone.
Swarm Capable
›
2
Systematic Sweep
Flies and skates a precise grid pattern over suspect zones with active mine-detection payload. Covers areas unreachable by conventional minesweepers.
Grid Pattern
›
3
Detect & Classify
Identifies floating and repositionable mines, logs precise GPS coordinates, and classifies threat level in real time.
Real-Time
›
4
Report or Neutralize
Relays mine GPS location to fleet for follow-on strike — or, if tactically required, HALIA can ram the mine directly. Attritable by design.
Attritable
›
5
Zone Cleared
Transmits all-clear signal. Safe passage confirmed for fleet movement without any surface vessel having entered the minefield.
Zero Crew Risk
Fast Transit
Fly In

Fly to the search area instead of slowly transiting by surface. HALIA's modeled flight speed allows it to reach suspected mine zones rapidly and begin payload operations without a slow surface approach.

Distributed Search
Sector by Sector

Support sector-by-sector coverage from small surface teams. Multiple HALIAs can operate independently, each working its own area without requiring a support vessel in the threat zone.

Reduced Fleet Exposure
Standoff

Keep crewed vessels farther from the threat area. HALIA carries the risk so that expensive ships and sailors do not have to enter the minefield to characterize or neutralize the threat.

HALIA prototype on water
Competitive Landscape

Speed + Persistence
Across Domains

Representative maritime systems tend to optimize for one domain: USVs persist at sea, while airborne platforms move fast through the battlespace. HALIA is designed to combine both advantages — persistent sea-level operations with rapid airborne repositioning from the water.

Platform Type Persistence Speed Sea Ops Air Ops
► LeVanta HALIA Hybrid 30+ days modeled 100+ mph modeled Yes — float, land, lower sonar Yes — launch from water
Saildrone Voyager USV 100 days 5 kt Yes No
Exail DriX H-9 USV <20 days <13 kt Yes No
Anduril Ghost-X UAV 80 min cruise Not publicly listed No Yes
P-8A Poseidon Aircraft Sortie-based 490 kt No Yes

Representative platforms shown. Similar USV and UAV systems generally face the same tradeoff: they are built for either sea persistence or airborne speed, but not both.

Momentum

Backed by DoD Contracts
and Global Partners

Two active SBIR Phase II contracts from the US Air Force and US Navy provide direct DoD validation of HALIA's technology. An international MOU with Ukraine adds a live-conflict proving ground to the program.

SBIR Phase II — Active
$1.8M

US Air Force Contract

Active SBIR Phase II contract for maritime ISR — direct DoD validation of HALIA's technology and mission-critical applicability in contested maritime environments.

SBIR Phase II — Active
$1.4M

US Navy Contract

Active SBIR Phase II contract for persistent maritime surveillance — direct DoD validation of HALIA's technology for undersea detection and wide-area ocean coverage missions.

International Partnership
MOU

Ukraine Partnership

Signed MOU to develop, test, and build HALIA in Ukraine — a live conflict proving ground and one of the most demanding operational validation environments on earth.

Leadership

The Team
Behind HALIA

Combined expertise spanning every discipline required to deliver HALIA from concept through operational deployment — engineers, Navy pilots, founders, and warfighters.

Get in Touch

Let's Talk
HALIA.

Whether you're a potential military customer, program manager, partner, or investor — we want to hear from you.

Kelly Echols — CEO
+1 (801) 664-3403 kechols@levantatech.com info@levantatech.com levantatech.com
Request a Briefing →
Primary Missions
Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
Mine Countermeasures (MCM)
Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)
Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance
Expanded Applications
Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW)
Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP)
Communications Relay & Force Multiplier