U.S. Launches Lamprey Sub Drone with Torpedoes and UAV Launch Capability for Undersea Warfare.

Lockheed Martin, on February 9, 2026, introduced the Lamprey MMAUV, a modular autonomous undersea vehicle built to deploy torpedoes, decoys, and aerial drones from a rechargeable hitchhike platform. The system signals a shift toward scalable, forward-deployed undersea combat power that reduces reliance on scarce manned submarines.

Lockheed Martin used its February 9, 2026, press release to introduce Lamprey MMAUV, a multi-mission autonomous undersea vehicle positioned as a plug-and-play submersible for assured access and sea denial in contested maritime theaters. Framed in corporate language as a platform that can detect, disrupt, decoy and engage, Lamprey is being marketed less like a traditional survey AUV and more like a mobile, autonomous weapons-and-effects rack that can be positioned forward without risking a manned submarine crew. The announcement makes clear that the design is tuned to U.S. Navy operational needs and exportable to allied fleets, suggesting Lockheed is positioning Lamprey as a scalable undersea combat capability rather than a niche technology demonstrator.
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Lockheed Martin's Lamprey MMAUV is a hitchhiking, rechargeable, multi-mission undersea drone designed for assured access and sea denial, with a modular payload bay able to carry lightweight torpedoes, deploy acoustic decoys, and launch small UAVs for cross-domain surveillance or strike (Picture source: Lockheed Martin).

The engineering idea that makes the Lamprey tactically interesting is its hitchhike concept. Lockheed states that the vehicle can attach to a host surface ship or submarine with no host modifications, ride into the theater, and arrive with a fully charged battery. To solve the classic UUV dilemma of endurance versus payload, the company describes onboard hydrogenators that recharge the batteries while attached, alongside a hydrogenerator concept designed to harvest energy during transit. That architecture shifts Lamprey from being a short-range adjunct to becoming something closer to a forward-deployed undersea magazine, carried by fleet units until it is time to detach and operate autonomously.

Lockheed’s most consequential design choice is payload-centric modularity paired with significant internal volume. The company specifies a 24 cubic foot internal payload space supported by an open-architecture mission bay, large enough to host multiple effectors rather than only sensors. Lamprey’s mission set is framed around three operational functions: deploy, deny, and disrupt. Deploy refers to ride-along integration with ships or submarines and in-transit recharging. Deny includes launching aerial drones for surveillance or strike missions and carrying lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes internally. Disrupt centers on deploying decoys intended to confuse or dilute enemy sensing and targeting. This modular approach allows commanders to configure Lamprey as an ambush shooter, a deception platform, or a multi-role scout and strike node depending on operational requirements.

The armament dimension is what distinguishes Lamprey from most existing autonomous underwater vehicles. Public material confirms the ability to carry anti-submarine torpedoes inside the hull, indicating sufficient internal structural reinforcement, ejection systems,s and fire control integration to support true kinetic engagement. Renderings and concept imagery also show retractable twin-tube launchers capable of deploying multiple small unmanned aerial systems. In certain configurations, up to three twin-tube launchers are depicted, suggesting a notional capacity of six drones. While Lockheed has not tied the system to a specific UAV type, the modular concept implies compatibility with a range of lightweight ISR or loitering strike drones, enabling cross-domain effects from a submerged platform.

Decoys represent an equally important combat multiplier. Imagery and descriptions reference expendable mobile targets that simulate submarine acoustic signatures, generating tones, broadband noise, active emissions, and echo repeats designed to mimic real platforms. In operational use, such devices can stretch an adversary’s anti-submarine warfare search geometry, induce premature torpedo launches, and complicate fire control solutions. If Lamprey can seed an area with convincing acoustic impostors while simultaneously maintaining real targeting tracks, it becomes a force-multiplier that shapes the undersea battlespace before any kinetic exchange occurs.

Operationally, Lamprey is structured for dual-mode employment. In assured access missions, the vehicle can insert covertly, conduct persistent surveillance, gather targeting data, and retain the option to strike once authorized. In sea denial roles, the focus shifts to deception, electronic disruption,n and precision engagement. Concept material depicts the use of a communications mast near the surface and potential integration with seabed nodes, enabling the transfer of sensor data to manned platforms. This networked approach fits squarely with the distributed maritime operations doctrine, where unmanned systems extend the sensing and strike envelope of a fleet without increasing risk to crews.

The strategic timing of Lamprey’s introduction reflects a widening gap between demand for undersea presence and the availability of manned submarines. Submarines remain decisive but scarce and politically sensitive assets. Meanwhile, adversaries are investing heavily in seabed sensors, anti-access networks, and layered maritime surveillance. Lamprey offers navies a way to generate mass and persistence without expanding submarine fleets. For the U.S. Navy and close allies, it complements Virginia-class and allied diesel-electric submarines by extending reach and providing expendable combat presence. For mid-tier navies, it provides a relatively affordable path to credible coastal sea denial, port defense, and chokepoint control without the financial burden of new submarine acquisition.

In comparison with Boeing’s Orca XLUUV, Lamprey occupies a different operational niche. Orca is a 51-foot extra-large UUV designed for long endurance and heavy payload missions, including mining and extensive seabed operations. It represents a strategic-scale unmanned submarine with significant infrastructure requirements. Lamprey, by contrast, emphasizes fleet integration without specialized basing and rapid reconfiguration of payloads. Its hitchhike model reduces deployment friction and aligns more closely with tactical and operational-level missions.

On the smaller end of the spectrum, platforms such as Anduril’s Dive-LD and Saab’s Sabertooth focus primarily on sensing, mapping,g and infrastructure-related tasks. While capable and modular, they are not marketed as autonomous undersea combat effectors capable of combining torpedoes, decoys, and cross-domain drone launch in a single mission. Lamprey’s defining characteristic is its weapon-centric design philosophy, blending ISR, deception, and kinetic strike into one autonomous package.

For naval planners confronting contested littorals and great power competition at sea, Lamprey represents a calculated shift toward autonomous undersea combat systems that can shape the battlespace before the first manned platform is exposed. If integrated effectively into fleet doctrine, it could redefine how navies think about undersea deterrence, distributed lethality, and the future of seabed warfare.