Lockheed Martin unveiled the Lamprey, its new autonomous underwater drone capable of attaching to the hulls of other vessels.
The Lamprey is described by Lockheed as a multi-mission autonomous underwater vehicle (MMAUV). It is electric and features a built-in hydro-generator that allows it to recharge its batteries during missions.
The shape of its hull is largely square, and it has 680 liters of internal cargo space. The Lamprey has two propellers at the rear, as well as two mounted along the sides of the body.
According to a report from The War Zone, its highly modular design can be configured to launch aerial drones, torpedoes, and decoys, as well as gather intelligence once it reaches its destination.
“Built with the U.S. Navy’s need for covert, assured access and maritime denial operations, the LampreyMMAUV can arrive at theater with a fully charged battery,” Lockheed said in a press release.
“Imitating nature, it can hitch a ride on a host surface ship or submarine, use hydrogenators to charge its batteries, and arrive at theater ready for operational missions.”
“The LampreyMMAUV from Lockheed Martin can perform a wide range of missions, including delivering kinetic and non-kinetic underwater and aerial effects; performing intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, targeting, and multi-intelligence collection; and deploying equipment on the sea floor,” the company added.
For now, Lockheed Martin has not disclosed further details on the range, speed, or other specifications of the Lamprey beyond its internal payload capacity.
Photos: Lockheed Martin. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
