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American defence prime Lockheed Martin has announced a new Lamprey multi-mission autonomous undersea vehicle designed to enhance underwater operations with stealth, flexibility and lethality.
The LampreyMMAUV, announced on 10 February, reportedly acts as an autonomous submersible capable of acting as a deployable drone launcher, torpedo launcher and deep sea surveillance device.
The system has already demonstrated robust autonomous navigation and surveillance capabilities during at-sea tests, according to Lockheed Martin.
The system features an internal payload bay for seabed reconnaissance, decoy deployment and combat missions, as well as the ability to attach to other larger maritime vessels via integrated docking anchors and power itself with a hydro generator.
Lockheed Martin highlighted three core roles for the LampreyMMAUV: acting as a “watchful eye” to collect and transmit underwater intelligence, serving as a deployable platform capable of launching short-range unmanned aerial vehicles in contested environments, and functioning as a disruptive decoy to confuse or distract adversary sensors.
