A missile-armed variant of Saildrone’s 20-meter Surveyor unmanned surface vessel (USV) has officially joined the at-sea phase of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026. Featuring a custom launcher capable of firing four AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM), the deployment marks a critical milestone in the U.S. Navy’s push to field a hybrid fleet of crewed and uncrewed combatants in the Indo-Pacific.
Pentagon media showed the Surveyor (SD-3001) departing Pearl Harbor ahead of the at-sea phase of RIMPAC 2026 last week. The drone sported a Lockheed Martin-designated missile launcher, an upgrade to the Surveyor that was previously announced by Saildrone.
Designed for persistent maritime and undersea surveillance operations, the 20-meter-long unmanned surface vessel (USV) can operate for months at-sea, according to a release from Saildrone. Surveyor is one of several drones from the company, which has already operationally fielded its USVs in support of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard operations in the Middle East, Pacific and Caribbean.
Earlier this year, the American drone firm revealed that defense contractor Lockheed Martin invested $50 million to integrate a launcher capable of firing four AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM). Succeeding the Cold War-era AGM-114 Hellfire, JAGM uses a modernized seeker and can strike targets at extended ranges in future variants.
Aside from surface strike, Lockheed Martin proposed the system for counter-unmanned aerial system roles aboard American guided-missile destroyers and littoral combat ships amid the height of Red Sea engagements. The surface-launched deployment scheme aimed to increase the U.S. Navy’s options to counter Houthi one-way attack drones.
“This combination of best-in-class commercial and defense technologies will support the US Navy in realizing its vision for a manned–unmanned hybrid fleet,” read a release from Saildrone in January.
The release also stated live-fire exercise with a JAGM-equipped Surveyor USV is slated for the Summer of 2026.
This timeframe aligned with the activities held biennially at the RIMPAC series of naval exercises. Washington and its partners routinely use the drills to showcase new concepts, missiles and drones. In 2024, the U.S. and South Korea deployed an armed drone while Anduril showcased its portfolio of unmanned underwater vessels (UUV).
At this year’s iteration, American forces are once again deploying unmanned surface and undersea systems to meet challenges in surface warfare, support submarines and logistical operations.
Alongside Saildrone’s Surveyor, sea drones from HavocAi, Leidos and Splash Industries are participating in RIMPAC. In a release from the U.S. Pacific Submarine Force stated that unspecified UUVs will operate alongside nuclear attack boats in detecting and tracking simulated targets.
