Lockheed Martin, Saildrone fire JAGM missile from unmanned vessel

Saildrone launched two Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles from a Saildrone Surveyor unmanned surface vehicle during the U.S. Navy’s Rim of the Pacific exercise, marking the first missile launches from a Saildrone platform, the company said.

The launches took place off the coast of Hawaii under the sponsorship of the U.S. Navy Fleet Experimentation Program. The Surveyor operated in coordination with the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Carrier Strike Group-9, and acted on target data through the Navy’s Adjunct Remote Engagement System, known as ARES, engaging a surrogate high-speed surface craft.

The demonstration followed six months of joint development between Saildrone and Lockheed Martin, stemming from a strategic partnership the companies announced in October 2025.

“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.”

Screengrab from video posted to social media

Any decision to fire remains under human control, according to Saildrone; the company said the demonstration does not involve autonomous weapons.

During the same RIMPAC exercise, the Surveyor also deployed a passive electronic warfare sensor that detected, classified and identified a surrogate threat radar system, working alongside an MH-60 aircraft, according to Saildrone.

“Lockheed Martin and Saildrone are leading the way to act differently and leverage the strength of all of industry for our national defense,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager, Sensors, Effectors and Mission Systems at Lockheed Martin. “We will continue to invest in new capabilities ahead of need to accelerate and de-risk deployment of urgently needed defense technologies.”

Screengrab from video posted to social media

Saildrone said the JAGM launches are the first in a planned series of integrations ahead of the Saildrone Spectre, the company’s largest unmanned surface vehicle. The Spectre measures 52 meters (170 feet) and is designed to carry larger, containerized mission payloads, according to Saildrone. Planned future capabilities for the Spectre include the Lockheed Martin Mk 70 launcher and towed arrays for anti-submarine warfare, the company said.

The Surveyor used in the RIMPAC demonstration is Saildrone’s multi-mission unmanned surface vehicle, built for maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, deep-ocean mapping, and long-endurance power projection missions, according to the company.