Leonardo integrates counter-UAS system on autonomous unmanned surface vessel 

Leonardo DRS has integrated its maritime mission equipment package (M-MEP) on an autonomous unmanned surface vessel (AUSV) developed by Sea Machines.

Built for rapid integration on crewed and uncrewed platforms, the solution provides a mission-ready layer of protection for ships, ports, littoral infrastructure, and expeditionary forces facing an increasingly complex drone threat environment.

The system will enable a new counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) capability for the STORMRUNNER AUSV, and it is designed to detect, track, identify, and defeat aerial unmanned threats operating in the maritime domain.

“Aerial unmanned threats are evolving quickly — in range, autonomy, and numbers,” said Cari Ossenfort, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Naval Electronics business unit.

“The M-MEP is engineered to help the U.S. Navy and allied forces stay ahead of that threat with a modular package that brings sensors, command and control, and defeat options together into one integrated capability that can be fielded fast.”

From small commercial quadcopters to more capable long-range UAS, unmanned aerial threats now represent a persistent risk to maritime operations. 

According to Leonardo, the M-MEP is designed to compress the time from requirements to operational capability by packaging detection and defeat into a single, scalable system. This system can be adapted across a range of maritime platforms, including uncrewed surface vessels (USVs).

The M-MEP combines maritime radar and EO-IR sensors with integrated networking, the SAGEcore software platform for AI-enabled sensor fusion and command and control, and a platform integration kit that accelerates installation across multiple vessel types.