Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) sound futuristic, but at Lockheed Martin, we believe they’ll be an important part of the U.S. Navy fleet sooner than you may think. USVs are important for the Navy fleet because they help the Navy become more distributed, networked and lethal.
- Distributed means the force can be in more places at once. USVs are designed to be less expensive per hull than manned ships, so the Navy can have more of them in the fleet. This will help the Navy be able to support more missions with more presence around the world.
- Networked means that USVs will integrate with existing ships. For example, several USVs can be working on reconnaissance missions in various locations, all controlled from one manned ship. That manned ship can easily receive information from the USVs and can decide how to proceed with new information.
- Lethal means the force will have extra fighting power. With more ships, the Navy will have more firepower to counter aggressive actions from adversaries.
Our maritime systems and technologies enable the U.S. Navy and international navies to accomplish a diverse set of missions in the air, on the sea’s surface, beneath the surface, in space and on land. As technology grows and adversaries become more sophisticated, naval dominance, missile defense and nuclear deterrence must evolve to meet these new threats. To effectively defend our nation and allies, Lockheed Martin is providing the U.S. Navy and international navies with the solutions they need to maintain freedom of the seas and deter aggression.