HAWAII — Saildrone and Lockheed Martin successfully launched two Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM) from a Saildrone Surveyor unmanned surface vessel (USV) during the U.S. Navy’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 exercise off Hawaii. The test marked the first time missiles have been fired from a Saildrone platform.
The demonstration was conducted under the U.S. Navy Fleet Experimentation Program (FLEX), with the Surveyor operating alongside the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) Carrier Strike Group-9. The 20-meter USV was fitted with a JAGM Dual Launcher and integrated with the Navy’s Adjunct Remote Engagement System (ARES), a remotely operated combat system. Using target data received through ARES, the Surveyor engaged a surrogate high-speed surface craft.
Saildrone said all firing decisions remained under human control and that the demonstration did not involve autonomous weapons.
The Surveyor also tested a passive electronic warfare sensor during RIMPAC. Working with a U.S. Navy MH-60S helicopter, the USV detected, classified and identified a surrogate threat radar system.
The demonstration followed the Saildrone-Lockheed Martin partnership announced in October 2025, when Lockheed Martin invested $50 million in Saildrone to advance unmanned surface vessel capabilities for the Navy. The companies moved from the concept to a live-fire demonstration in six months.
Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO, said the JAGM demonstration provides a mission-ready kinetic capability while helping accelerate the integration of more advanced weapons, including the Mk 70 launcher, onto the larger Saildrone Spectre.
Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager of Sensors, Effectors and Mission Systems at Lockheed Martin, said the companies are using industry capabilities to develop containerized systems for national defense and accelerate the deployment of new defense technologies.
The JAGM launch is the first in a planned series of integrations ahead of the Saildrone Spectre, the company's largest USV. The 52-meter (170-foot) vessel is designed to carry larger containerized payloads, including the Lockheed Martin Mk 70 launcher and towed-array systems for anti-submarine warfare such as the SURTASS Towed Array.
The Surveyor is a multi-mission USV designed for maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, deep-ocean mapping and long-endurance operations. Saildrone vessels have operated in remote ocean environments for more than a decade and have been used by the U.S. Navy since 2021.
JAGM uses a dual-mode seeker combining semi-active laser and millimeter-wave guidance and is designed for operations across air, maritime and ground domains.
The RIMPAC 2026 demonstration showed how a commercial unmanned surface vessel can be integrated with existing Navy combat systems, crewed platforms and proven munitions while retaining human control over weapon employment.
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