Leonardo DRS has successfully concluded a series of open-water trials for its advanced maritime mission equipment package (MEP), a scalable counter uncrewed aerial system (C-UAS) designed for naval fleet protection.
The DRS maritime MEP is based on the company’s proven land-based mobile short-range air defence and C-UAS systems.
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The scalable system can be mounted on various small uncrewed surface vessels (USV) to provide remote ship protection against air and surface threats.
The demonstrations, conducted in realistic sea conditions, validated the MEP’s integrated system capabilities, including the detection, identification, and tracking of UAS threats, as well as counter-surface ship tracking.
The equipment package showcased during these tests featured an array of DRS sensors and command-and-control technologies.
Among these were the BlackLab passive radio frequency detection system, STAG electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) gimbal with advanced thermal cameras, and a tactical data management system equipped with DRS’s sensor fusion operating system and AI.
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By GlobalDataThese components are engineered to support fusion and target recognition using RF and optical modalities, stated the company.
Leonardo DRS Naval business unit senior vice president and general manager Cari Ossenfort said: “The US Navy faces the same evolving drone threats as our land forces, and we recognise the urgency of delivering a reliable solution to protect the lives of sailors.
“By leveraging our proven expertise in mobile ground-based counter-UAS and short-range air defence systems, we have rapidly developed and demonstrated a maritime force protection capability that provides sailors with full-spectrum situational awareness and the tools to detect, track, and defeat threats at the tactical edge.”
The design of the DRS Maritime MEP emphasises mission flexibility through modularity and platform agnosticism.
It can be integrated with advanced active and passive RF and EO/IR sensors, 4G/5G electronic‑warfare systems, and scalable kinetic or non‑kinetic effectors by employing its modular open systems approach within the Leonardo DRS operating system framework.
In June 2025, Leonardo DRS secured a $41m combat management system hardware contract from the US Naval Sea Systems Command.
