AUKUS exercise sees Royal Navy uncrewed submarine controlled from across the world
This is the first time UK and Australia, as part of AUKUS Pillar II, have demonstrated XLUUV interchangeability as a single fighting force.
Unveiled earlier this year, the 12m long and totally crewless Excalibur is the navy’s first XLUUV and is the culmination of a three-year long project called Cetus.
As part of AUKUS Pillar II’s Maritime Big Play series, the control of a UK XLUUV in UK waters was executed during Exercise Talisman Sabre in July from a remote operating centre in Australia – more than 10,000 miles from Excalibur’s home of HMNB Devonport in Plymouth.
In addition to the XL UUV experimentation delivered by Australia, the United Kingdom and United States, AUKUS nations also separately worked with Japan in this exercise to enhance their use of underwater acoustic communications.
Building on the successful first year of the series in 2024, AUKUS Pillar II partners have conducted several demonstrations, focused on advancing how they collectively communicate with and employ, robotics and autonomous systems at sea.