Lockheed Martin tests JAGM launches from an unmanned boat

Lockheed Martin announced on August 20 that a Saildrone Surveyor-class unmanned surface vessel launched two Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) rounds during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026.

The vessel used a JAGM dual launcher and targeting data for a simulated high-speed surface craft. The demonstration was coordinated with the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and sponsored by the US Navy's Fleet Experimentation Program.

Weapon-deployment decisions were made through the Navy's Adjunct Remote Engagement System (ARES), which Lockheed describes as a remotely operated combat system. The Saildrone Surveyor received remote targeting information and acted on it successfully. The exercise therefore demonstrated remote operation, rather than a fully autonomous weapons deployment.

The JAGM is the successor to the Hellfire missile. The source describes it as a 50kg weapon with an 18km effective targeting radius, intended mainly for smaller, faster aerial and naval targets such as one-way drones and small boats.

The vessel also demonstrated a passive electronic warfare sensor that detected, classified, and identified threats with an MH-60 helicopter. However, the dual launcher cannot reload at sea. The technology has been tested but remains unproven in battle, and questions remain about cost, mass production, and its practical combat utility.