US Navy Launches Missiles From Saildrone Autonomous Vessel

The United States Navy conducted live-fire tests using a Saildrone Surveyor autonomous surface vessel to launch Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles during the Rim of the Pacific exercise off Hawaii. The 20-meter drone operated in coordination with the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, utilizing the Navy's Adjunct Remote Engagement System to engage a surrogate high-speed surface craft.

This demonstration proves that unmanned surface vessels can extend the missile capacity of carrier strike groups in contested maritime chokepoints, such as the Strait of Hormuz. The test utilized munitions manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins stated that the successful demonstration pairs trusted munitions with a widely deployed class of unmanned surface vessel. He noted that the test de-risks and accelerates the integration of more sophisticated kinetic capabilities, including the Mk70 launcher, onto the larger Saildrone Specter platform.