Ігор Вишневський Weapon 22 February 2026, 14:02

Americans have developed a parasitic drone that attaches to naval ships and travels with them wherever they need to go. How Lamprey works

The American defense company Lockheed Martin has introduced the Lamprey unmanned parasite submarine.

As Defense Express writes with reference to Naval News, the drone was first shown during the international arms exhibition WEST 2026.

According to company representatives, Lamprey was developed in just 14 months on its own and without external funding, and the parasite drone is planned to be produced in several different sizes — from 6 to 10 meters.

The publication emphasizes that Lamprey means «lamprey» in translation, and the functionality of the drone can be compared to this marine animal.

The Lamprey drone is equipped with sixteen suction cups, with which it can cling to the bottom of any vessel — warships and submarines — while hitchhiking to its target.

As long as the Lamprey drone is attached to the object it is parasitizing, it can deploy a special generator to recharge its batteries until it arrives at the required point.

At the same time, Lamprey can carry three launchers, each with two drones for reconnaissance or strikes, as weapons; small torpedoes for destroying boats and submarines, or special decoys.

However, the company announces that any other payload that may be necessary depending on the operation can be integrated on board.

The company developed Lamprey primarily for the needs of the US Navy, and the suction cup drone is planned to operate in the Indo-Pacific region.

Lamprey can not only travel by clinging to others, as the submarine also has its own electric motors. The publication writes that they will not be enough for a significant distance, but are quite enough for maneuvers or transition from carrier to carrier.

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