Leonardo DRS has successfully integrated its Maritime Mission Equipment Package (M-MEP) onto an autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) to provide a dedicated Counter-Unmanned Aerial System (C-UAS) capability.
The system is designed to detect, track, identify, and defeat aerial threats ranging from small commercial quadcopters to more capable long-range unmanned systems. By packaging sensors, command and control, and defeat options into a single modular solution, the M-MEP is built for rapid integration on both crewed and uncrewed maritime platforms. This capability is intended to provide a layer of protection for ships, ports, expeditionary forces, and littoral infrastructure facing an increasingly complex drone environment.
Cari Ossenfort, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Leonardo DRS Naval Electronics business unit, said, “Aerial unmanned threats are evolving quickly — in range, autonomy, and numbers. 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.”
The hardware suite combines maritime radar and EO-IR sensors with integrated networking. At the core of the system is the SAGEcore software platform, which utilizes AI-enabled sensor fusion for command and control. To streamline deployment, a platform integration kit is included to accelerate installation across various vessel types, helping to compress the time between operational requirements and active capability.
By utilizing these interoperable components, the system aims to boost maritime domain awareness and reduce operator workload while extending layered defense to uncrewed surface vessels. The technology is being demonstrated on the Sea Machines STORMRUNNER autonomous vessel to showcase how modular C-UAS protection can be fielded quickly to meet persistent risks in the maritime domain.
