Ultra Maritime has tested an integrated active-passive sonar solution designed to support autonomous counter-UUV and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations in contested maritime environments.
During the US Navy’s 2026 Lanternfish exercise, the company combined its Sea Spear deployable passive sonar with its newly developed SSQ-125B active sonobuoy. The integrated system was used to passively detect and actively localize unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). The demonstration represents a major step toward validating Ultra Maritime’s acoustic architecture for future autonomous counter-UUV and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions.
The company said the demonstration supports its “Ocean of Things” concept, which envisions a distributed network of intelligent autonomous underwater sensors deployed from manned and unmanned platforms. The network is intended to provide a continuous, real-time picture of the undersea battlespace.
Ultra Maritime noted that the architecture can be configured for a range of missions, including port and critical infrastructure protection, maritime choke-point security, expeditionary operations and long-duration surveillance of strategically important waterways.
Specifically, the demonstration centered on the SSQ-125B, an active sonobuoy developed and manufactured by Ultra Maritime. The company described the system as its latest-generation active sonobuoy, designed to provide enhanced detection and localization capabilities while complementing the persistent passive sensing provided by Sea Spear.
By combining active and passive acoustic sensing, the two systems are intended to extend the range and persistence of distributed underwater surveillance and support autonomous ASW operations.
The demonstration comes as Ultra Maritime is set to become part of Lockheed Martin, which has recently signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ultra Maritime from Advent for $3.45 billion.
Lockheed Martin said the acquisition will strengthen its ability to provide integrated undersea warfare solutions by combining Ultra Maritime’s international footprint and ASW product portfolio with its existing maritime capabilities.