On Monday, February 9, 2026, the U.S. company Lockheed Martin unveiled its new Lamprey MMAUV (Multi-Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle), a multi-mission autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle. It is intended to serve as a plug-and-play, do-it-all submersible solution offered to the United States Navy (U.S. Navy) and allied forces.
Lamprey is a jawless parasite that attaches to larger fishes, sharks, whales, or even ships’ hulls / Photo: Lockheed Martin
As reported, the Lamprey MMAUV was designed to mimic nature in conducting covert reconnaissance and combat missions, and can be deployed from either a surface vessel or a submarine mothership. It is a versatile, modular platform designed with the capability to attach itself to the hull of a host vessel without requiring modifications.
To recharge its batteries while traveling attached to the mothership’s hull, the system is intended to use hydrogenerators, turbines powered by water flow, allowing it to reach the operational area with a full charge.
A key element of the system is an open, modular payload bay with a volume of 24 cubic feet (approximately 0.68 m³), enabling the carriage of various sensors and effectors, such as lightweight torpedoes, unmanned aerial vehicle launchers (up to three dual launchers), electronic warfare systems, acoustic decoys or dummies, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors, mine or seabed sensor dispensers, sonobuoys (e.g., Mk 39 Mod 3 EMATT), and equipment for sabotage missions, such as operations targeting undersea cables.
“The modern battlespace demands platforms that hide, adapt and dominate,” said Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager of Sensors, Effectors & Mission Systems 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.”
Propulsion is provided by two rear thrusters for forward and reverse movement and two lateral thrusters for maneuvering in confined spaces or around seabed obstacles. This configuration ensures six degrees of freedom, enabling highly precise control – including turning in place, ascending/descending, and pitching. The thrusters are quiet and autonomous, powered by the onboard batteries mentioned above.
According to Lockheed Martin, sea trials of the prototypes have already begun.