Lockheed Martin and Saildrone fired two rounds of the AGM-179- Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) from a Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle, marking the first missile launch from a Saildrone platform. The shots were controlled through a JAGM dual launcher tied to the U.S. Navy’s remotely operated combat system, ARES (Adjunct Remote Engagement System).
The demonstration was conducted in coordination with the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Carrier Strike Group. The Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle engaged target data generated by a surrogate high-speed surface craft, showing its ability to work with ARES in a live-fire setting.
The event took place off the coast of Hawaii under the sponsorship of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Experimentation Program (FLEX), during Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026, described as the world’s largest international naval exercise. As part of the same multi-domain event, the team also demonstrated a passive electronic warfare capability aboard the Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle, detecting, classifying and identifying a surrogate threat radar system alongside an MH-60S helicopter.ntifying a surrogate threat radar system alongside an MH-60S helicopter.
Surveyor Unmanned Surface Vehicle Readied for Demonstration in Six Months
According to Saildrone, the demonstration was the result of a six-month joint development effort with Lockheed Martin that grew out of a partnership the two companies established in October 2025. Lockheed Martin said the program moved from concept to demonstration in six months, showing its capacity to integrate established capabilities onto commercial unmanned surface vehicles at speed.
Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins said the live-fire demonstration paired “one of the most tried and trusted munitions with the most operationally deployed class of USV on the planet.” Jenkins said the milestone delivers mission-ready, kinetic USV capability now, while also de-risking and accelerating the integration of larger kinetic systems, such as the Mk 70 launcher, onto Saildrone’s larger platform, the Spectre.
Paul Lemmo, Vice President and General Manager of Sensors, Effectors and Mission Systems at Lockheed Martin, said the two companies are drawing on the strength of industry to deliver autonomous platforms — including the Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle — carrying containerized capabilities for national defence.Lemmo added that the companies will keep investing in new capabilities ahead of need to speed up and de-risk the fielding of defence technologies.
Scaling Toward the Saildrone Spectre
Lockheed Martin said the RIMPAC demonstration is the first in a planned series of tests integrating Navy combat systems aboard Saildrone platforms, including the upcoming Spectre class, designed to carry substantially larger containerized payloads such as the Lockheed Martin Mk 70 launcher and the SURTASS towed array.
Per Saildrone, the Spectre will measure 52 meters (170 feet) in length and weigh around 300 tonnes at full payload, with a top speed of up to 30 knots. The vessel’s concealed payload deck will accommodate up to five 20-foot containers or two 40-foot containers. Spectre will come in two variants — with or without Saildrone’s patented Wing — offering a choice between near-silent transits for acoustically sensitive missions and a low profile for high-speed kinetic strikes. The first Spectre unit is currently under construction.
The Surveyor Platform and JAGM Capability
The Saildrone Surveyor is a multi-mission unmanned surface vehicle built for persistent maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), deep-ocean mapping, and long-endurance power projection. Measuring 20 meters (66 feet), the Surveyor can operate autonomously in harsh ocean environments and remain on station for months at a time, using radar, EO/IR sensors, machine-learning-based detection, passive acoustics and AIS to maintain continuous situational awareness — now alongside its newly integrated JAGM dual launcher.
According to Lockheed Martin, the AGM-179 JAGM’s dual-mode seeker (semi-active laser plus millimeter-wave) provides all-weather counter-unmanned aircraft system (C-UAS) capability aboard the Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle, with what the company describes as consistent, high-reliability performance across air, maritime and ground domains
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Source: C4Defence–Lockheed Martin– Saildrone
