The Royal Navy of Great Britain successfully tested the remote control system of the extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) “Excalibur” during the “Talisman Sabre” exercises, which took place in July with the participation of Great Britain and Australia as part of the AUKUS partnership. This is reported by UNN with reference to Interesting Engineering.
Details
For the first time, a remote control center in Australia controlled a 40-foot underwater drone, which was submerged in British waters more than 10,000 miles from its base HMNB Devonport in Plymouth. The test was part of a series of AUKUS Pillar II “Maritime Grand Game” exercises, within which the US, Great Britain, and Australia are testing the capabilities of joint use of autonomous systems at sea.
As the publication notes, “Excalibur” specializes in autonomous underwater vehicles. It is 12 meters long, 2 meters wide, weighs about 21 tons, and is capable of performing tasks at a distance of up to 1000 miles. According to the military, the drone is not intended for combat deployment, but is used as a test platform for practicing tactics and technical requirements.
This is an exciting day for the Royal Navy. “Excalibur” will be our mechanism for understanding the challenges of managing the future mixed underwater fleet
– emphasized Rear Admiral James Parkin.
AUKUS countries also coordinated efforts with Japan to improve underwater acoustic communication.
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AUKUS is a trilateral defense partnership between the US, Great Britain, and Australia, announced in September 2021. It aims to strengthen security and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region amid China’s growing influence.
One of the key goals is to increase interoperability between the armed forces of the three countries and create conditions for their effective joint deployment in future conflicts.