Lockheed Martin and Saildrone demonstrated how commercial unmanned surface vessels (USVs) can be rapidly adapted for naval combat missions during RIMPAC 2026 near Hawaii. A Saildrone Surveyor equipped with Lockheed Martin’s JAGM Dual Launcher and the Navy’s ARES system successfully conducted two live-fire launches against a surrogate high-speed surface target, operating with targeting data from the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.

The team also demonstrated passive electronic warfare capabilities by detecting, classifying, and identifying a surrogate threat radar in coordination with an MH-60S helicopter. The demonstration showed that autonomous platforms can perform both kinetic and non-kinetic missions while working alongside traditional Navy forces.

The effort highlights the potential to quickly field proven defense technologies on commercially developed platforms. Lockheed Martin and Saildrone completed the integration in just six months and plan to expand these capabilities to larger platforms, including the Saildrone Spectre, which could support systems such as the Mk 70 launcher and SURTASS.