The Saildrone Surveyor was integrated with the Navy’s Adjunct Remote Engagement System, or ARES, a remotely operated combat system. In coordination with the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Carrier Strike Group, the unmanned vessel acted on targeting data associated with a surrogate high-speed surface craft.
Lockheed Martin said the effort moved from concept to live demonstration in six months through cooperation with Saildrone and the U.S. Navy. The test was intended to demonstrate how existing military capabilities can be integrated onto commercial unmanned surface vessels on a compressed timeline.
The companies also tested a passive electronic warfare capability from the Surveyor during the multi-domain event. Working with an MH-60S helicopter, the vessel detected, classified and identified a surrogate threat radar system.
“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,” said Paul Lemmo, Vice President and General Manager, Sensors, Effectors and Mission Systems, Lockheed Martin. “We will continue to invest in new capabilities ahead of need to accelerate and de-risk deployment of urgently needed defense technologies.”
The demonstration was conducted under the Navy’s Fleet Experimentation Program during RIMPAC, the multinational naval exercise held in and around Hawaii. Lockheed Martin and Saildrone said it will be the first of several tests involving Saildrone platforms integrated with Navy combat systems.
“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.”
The companies plan additional integration work using Saildrone’s larger Spectre-class platform. The vessel is designed to accommodate larger containerized systems, including Lockheed Martin’s Mk 70 launcher and the SURTASS Towed Array.
Lockheed Martin said the JAGM uses a dual-mode semi-active laser and millimeter-wave seeker and is designed for operations across air, maritime and ground domains. The company also cited the weapon’s all-weather counter-UAS capability as part of its broader case for integrating established weapons with unmanned platforms.
Saildrone has operated commercial unmanned surface vessels in remote maritime environments since 2013. The partnership with Lockheed Martin is intended to combine that operational experience with existing defense technologies as both companies pursue additional unmanned and autonomous naval applications.
