Lockheed Martin tests AI anti-submarine system SensorMAX on US Navy MH-60R at RIMPAC 2026

Published Aug 9, 12:00 PM UTC

Lockheed Martin successfully demonstrated its SensorMAX artificial intelligence system for anti-submarine warfare aboard US Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopters during the RIMPAC 2026 exercise off Hawaii. The system processes acoustic data from sonobuoys, allowing aircrew to manage up to eight feeds simultaneously—double the current capacity. When new underwater sounds are detected, ground operators label the noise signature, retrain the AI model in under five minutes, and transmit updates to aircraft in flight via an encrypted data link. The exercise showed that AI-assisted acoustic analysis can detect and track underwater targets faster than traditional methods. The software is portable and sensor-agnostic, capable of running in air, at sea, or ashore. Lockheed Martin partnered with FUSE Inc for over-the-air model delivery. The MH-60R is the US Navy's primary maritime helicopter, also operated by several allied nations. RIMPAC is the world's largest international maritime exercise, with growing focus on anti-submarine warfare amid expanding Chinese and Russian submarine activity.