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Orgo-Life the new way to the future Advertising by AdpathwayLockheed Martin has unveiled an autonomous undersea drone that can hitch a ride on the surface of larger vessels to maximise efficiency.
The Lamprey Multi‑Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV) is designed to perform a wide range of missions, including surveillance and reconnaissance or deploying equipment to the seafloor. It can also be equipped to launch anti‑submarine torpedoes in active conflicts.
The rectangular craft is able to attach itself to the hull of larger sea vessels using either a docking mechanism or suction cups, allowing it to conserve energy. While attached it can use built-in hydrogenators – effectively mini generators – to recharge its battery, so it can reach its intended target completely charged and be deployed for the maximum amount of time possible, Lockheed Martin said. This is especially useful for data reconnaissance, with operators able to deploy a suite of Lampreys on the seabed to wait for a target or gather intelligence over an extended period.
The MMAUV – Lockheed Martin
The system emerges as militaries around the world increase their focus on undersea dominance. Autonomous platforms are viewed as a way to monitor contested waters, protect subsea infrastructure and counter adversaries without risking crewed submarines.
“The modern battlespace demands platforms that hide, adapt and dominate,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president of sensors at Lockheed Martin. “LampreyMMAUV was internally funded, letting us iterate at lightning speed and hand the Navy a true multi mission weapon that detects, disrupts, decoys and engages on its own.”
Several projects are focused on developing autonomous underwater drones, including one that successfully completed a 300km journey beneath East Antarctic ice in December to deliver the first-ever data on ocean conditions and ice shelf melting. In July, another drone was deployed in ultra-deep waters near the Mariana Trench, Western Pacific, to collect data on previously unexplored polymetallic nodules as part of plans to find new critical mineral sources.
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