Saildrone and Lockheed Martin completed the first-ever missile launch from a Saildrone unmanned surface vessel, firing two Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles from a 65-foot Surveyor during the U.S. Navy's RIMPAC 2026 exercise off Hawaii1,4,5,6.
The live-fire demonstration, announced on August 20, used a Joint-Air-to-Ground Missile Dual Launcher integrated with the Navy's Adjunct Remote Engagement System, a remotely operated combat system7. The Surveyor acted on targeting data associated with a surrogate high-speed surface craft in coordination with the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Carrier Strike Group-9.
The operation was conducted under the U.S. Navy Fleet Experimentation Program. Lockheed Martin said the effort moved from concept to live demonstration in six months. The development originated from a strategic partnership between Saildrone and Lockheed Martin established in October 2025.
The exercise marked the Surveyor's transition beyond its established intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and ocean-mapping roles into kinetic operations. "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.
During the same multi-domain event, the team demonstrated a passive electronic warfare capability from the Surveyor, successfully detecting, classifying, and identifying a surrogate threat radar system in conjunction with an MH-60S helicopter.
Lockheed Martin described JAGM as using a dual-mode semi-active laser and millimeter-wave seeker designed for operations across air, maritime, and ground domains, citing the weapon's all-weather counter-UAS capability as part of its rationale for integrating established weapons with unmanned platforms.
The companies said this is the first of several planned tests involving Saildrone platforms integrated with Navy combat systems. Future integration work will use Saildrone's larger Saildrone Spectre, a 52-meter (170-foot) platform designed to accommodate larger containerized mission sets and payloads, including the Mark 70 Mod 1 Payload Delivery System and the SURTASS Towed Array for anti-submarine warfare operations.
Paul Lemmo, Vice President and General Manager, Sensors, Effectors and Mission Systems at Lockheed Martin, was identified as a key executive involved in the effort.
ANALYSIS The six-month concept-to-demonstration timeline and the use of a commercially derived hull with an existing military munition reflect an integration model distinct from purpose-built military USV programs — prioritizing speed of fielding over clean-sheet design. The addition of passive electronic warfare sensing alongside kinetic capability in a single exercise positions the Surveyor as a multi-mission node rather than a single-purpose weapons carrier.
The demonstration arrives amid broader activity in autonomous maritime systems. Shield AI's V-BAT drone recently received the highest European authorization for unmanned maritime operations from Italy's civil aviation authority ctx. Archer Aviation's acquisition of Boeing subsidiaries Wisk Aero, Insitu, and SkyGrid consolidated autonomous flight and uncrewed aircraft capabilities under a single entity ctx.
ANALYSIS The escalation from ISR-only unmanned vessels to missile-armed platforms operating within carrier strike group command-and-control structures represents a qualitative shift in how the U.S. Navy is testing autonomous assets in fleet exercises.