Lockheed Martin Is Building a “Parasite” Drone for the US Navy
February 14, 2026
By: Peter Suciu
The new Lamprey drone is built to attach directly to a host ship’s hull, allowing it to detach quickly and without needing to be submerged into the water first.
The notion of attaching weapons to the outside of a ship’s hull dates back centuries.
During the American Revolution, patriot inventor David Bushnell developed the “Turtle,” largely recognized as the world’s first submarine. The one-man submersible was built to float up to British warships in New York Harbor undetected and attach explosive charges to their hulls. The Turtle made several attempts to carry out that mission, but all failed before it was sunk; its final fate is unknown.
In the 250 years since, many navies have developed “limpet mines,” magnetic mines that attach to a ship’s steel hull and can be detonated remotely. These weapons can be attached by naval divers, or “frogmen”—but drones are far more likely to take on the task today. This use has been seen during the ongoing Ukraine War, where Ukraine’s Sea Baby Drones have been used with success to disable Russian warships in port. However, undersea drones could also be used to degrade an enemy vessel in a very different way.
Lockheed Martin’s Lamprey Drone Can Hitch a Ride on a Ship
This month, defense giant Lockheed Martin unveiled the “Lamprey,” a Multi-Mission Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (MMAUV) that can attach to a ship’s hull to essentially hitch a ride. Instead of delivering an explosive package, the Lamprey can fill a role similar to the so-called “Loyal Wingmen” aerial drones now being developed to serve alongside manned fighters.
The Lamprey, named for a type of fish that attaches itself to larger aquatic organisms, could serve as a force multiplier by providing additional sensors to a friendly warship or submarine. As it is attached to the exterior of the hull, it could be deployed quickly without requiring the “mother ship” to slow down and manually drop it into the water.
Moreover, by being carried on the hull, the drone can be recharged by the flow of water around it, for instance through a small turbine. That can allow a drone to “reach the area of operations with 100% battery life, ready for action,” Marine Insight reported.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/lockheed-martin-building-parasite-drone-for-us-navy-ps-021426
