Lockheed Martin has recently delivered the third production Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV) to the U.S. Navy, increasing the mine countermeasures capability for both DDG 51 Arleigh Burke class destroyers and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The first and second RMMV were delivered to the Navy in April and August 2007, respectively.
The RMMV is a robust unmanned, semi-submersible, semi-autonomous vehicle that can be adapted to a broad spectrum of applications and missions, including towing variable-depth sensors to detect, localize, classify and identify undersea threats at a safe distance from friendly ships. The RMMV provides all-weather, low-observable operations, high endurance, interchangeable mission system electronics, and real-time data transfer capability beyond line of sight.The RMMV is the integral mobile subsystem of the Navy's AN/WLD-1 Remote Minehunting System (RMS), which includes the RMMV, a launch and retrieval system for the RMMV, the RMMV-towed sonar sensor, advanced communications equipment and software that integrates RMS into the host ship's combat system. Launched and controlled remotely from forward-deployed ships, the RMMV gives carrier and expeditionary strike groups real-time, over-the-horizon mine reconnaissance capability, keeping the Sailor out of harms way. In 2005, the Naval Sea Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin a low-rate initial production contract for three RMMVs; a contract for four more RMMVs was awarded in 2006.The RMMV is produced at Lockheed Martin'sRiviera Beach, FL facility.
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