Lockheed Martin and Saildrone test launch from USV platform

Lockheed Martin and Saildrone conducted a live-fire demonstration from a Surveyor-class unmanned surface vehicle outfitted with a Joint-Air-to-Ground (JAGM) Dual Launcher and the Navy’s Adjunct Remote Engagement System (ARES) fire-control C2, the companies said. Working with the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Carrier Strike Group and enabled by ARES, the Saildrone Surveyor acted on target data for a surrogate high-speed surface craft. The effort moved from concept to demonstration in six months in partnership with the U.S. Navy, underscoring rapid integration of established capabilities onto commercial USVs.

The multi-domain event also showcased a passive electronic warfare capability from the Saildrone Surveyor, which detected, classified, and identified a surrogate threat radar system in conjunction with an MH-60S helicopter, the companies said. The live-fire took place near Hawaii under the U.S. Navy Fleet Experimentation Program (FLEX) during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026, billed as the world’s largest international naval exercise.

“Lockheed Martin and Saildrone are leading the way to leverage the strength of industry to deliver autonomous platforms with containerized capabilities for our national defense. We will continue to invest in new capabilities ahead of need to accelerate and de-risk deployment of urgently needed defense technologies.” said Paul Lemmo, Vice President and General Manager, Sensors, Effectors and Mission Systems, Lockheed Martin.

“This successful live fire demonstration was the result of pairing one of the most tried and trusted munitions with the most operationally deployed class of USV on the planet,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone’s founder and CEO. “Not only does this deliver mission-ready, kinetic USV capability today, but it also de-risks and accelerates our journey of fitting more sophisticated kinetic capabilities, like the Mk70 launcher, to our larger platform, the Saildrone Spectre. Saildrone will continue to develop our platform capabilities to meet the rapidly evolving operational requirements of our customers.”

The companies said this was the first in a series of planned tests on Saildrone platforms integrated with Navy combat systems, including the new Spectre-class, which is designed to host larger containerized payloads such as the Lockheed Martin Mk 70 launcher and the SURTASS Towed Array. They described the collaboration as a path to fast-field commercial technology for defense, leveraging Saildrone’s decade-plus of USV operations to speed new applications, while both firms invest to accelerate and de-risk deployment of unmanned and autonomous naval technologies. Lockheed Martin is focusing on integrating “ready-now” capabilities to deliver lethality quickly, and the partners highlighted JAGM’s dual-mode seeker (SAL+ MMW) for all-weather counter-UAS roles, citing consistent, reliable performance across air, maritime, and ground domains in real-world conditions.