Overview
- Lockheed says the Lamprey autonomous undersea vehicle can attach to U.S. and allied ships or submarines to travel with them and recharge its batteries via flow-driven mini‑turbines.
- The vehicle features an open payload bay of about 0.68 m³ that can be fitted with light anti‑submarine torpedoes, electronic‑warfare jammers, acoustic decoys, or surveillance sensors.
- After surfacing, Lamprey can deploy airborne drones from three extendable double‑tube launchers to support reconnaissance or other tasks.
- The system is designed to lie on the seabed for extended periods and operate cooperatively with other Lamprey units to distribute sensing and strike functions.
- Lockheed states the effort was company‑funded rather than a Pentagon program, and it has not released size, weight, propulsion details, or public evidence of operational testing; the firm also describes mission modes oriented to covert access and sea denial.