Lockheed Martin and Saildrone: Accelerating Maritime Readiness at Scale
With a $50 million investment in Saildrone, Lockheed Martin is forging a strategic collaboration to rapidly scale unmanned maritime defense capability.
Together, the companies will pair Saildrone’s proven unmanned surface vessel (USV) platforms with Lockheed Martin’s combat-tested defense tech and mission integration expertise —delivering powerful, defense-ready USVs to the fleet faster.
The Latest
(as of 4/16/2026)
Since our October investment, Saildrone continues to proactively innovate. At Navy League Sea Air Space 2026, Saildrone revealed Spectre, a high-endurance USV designed to deliver multi-mission effects above and below the surface. The vehicle is Saildrone’s largest at 52 meters, and it’s engineered for long-range, quiet, persistent operations.
Anticipating Needs. Accelerating Capability.
Saildrone’s USVs are built for endurance and autonomy. Their long-established track record includes more than a decade operating in remote, open-ocean environments, with millions of nautical miles logged. First deployed by the U.S. Navy in 2021, they are currently operational today, working around the clock, 365-days alongside American Sailors in combat theaters across the globe.
Recently, after months-long use of Saildrone’s USVs, more than 130,000 nautical miles over 2,700 cumulative mission days were logged with 116,000 unique contacts detected.
Starting with the JAGM Quad Launcher on Saildrone’s Surveyor platform, Lockheed Martin is integrating its defense payloads to transform commercial-grade autonomy into a multi-mission maritime solution capable of fleet defense, undersea surveillance, reconnaissance and strike.
Speed, Scale and Readiness
The partnership is designed to accelerate the Navy’s unmanned vision at scale. The teams will begin work immediately, integrating the JAGM Quad Launcher onto the Saildrone Surveyor and expanding to additional Lockheed Martin payloads across multiple platforms.
Lockheed Martin’s investment helps mitigate risk on the path to Distributed Maritime Operations and supports the Navy’s drive for affordable mass by 2027. The open-architecture approach and secure command-and-control framework ensure rapid, reliable integration while preserving security and interoperability.
By anticipating needs before they become requirements, this forward-looking approach reinforces Lockheed Martin’s commitment to turning innovation into decisive advantage for the United States and its allies.
What’s Next
Saildrone and Lockheed Martin will integrate numerous payloads onto Spectre as part of a $50 million strategic partnership signed in October 2025. This includes the Mk 70 VLS launcher, active and passive ASW arrays, and electronic warfare systems.