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Lockheed Martin Unveils Lamprey Undersea Drone With Hull-Docking, Power-Generating Design

The internally funded design touts hull docking with power regeneration to address endurance limits in undersea autonomy.

Overview

  • Lockheed introduced the Lamprey Multi‑Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle as a modular platform for covert access and sea‑denial roles in contested waters.
  • Lamprey can latch onto the hulls of surface ships or submarines, hitch rides to theater, and recharge in transit using integrated hydro‑generators.
  • The open‑architecture vehicle features a 24‑cubic‑foot payload bay sized for lightweight torpedoes, electronic warfare modules, acoustic decoys, sensors, and retractable launchers for unmanned aircraft.
  • Operational concepts include cooperative teams that settle on the seabed to collect data, then upload intelligence, reposition, or conduct authorized attacks.
  • Lockheed says the system was rapidly iterated with internal funding, and there is no publicly identified Navy program, contract, or independent performance validation to date.