US, UK and Australia advance undersea drone programme under AUKUS

The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia are jointly developing unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) under their trilateral AUKUS defence partnership, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday, May 30.

In a joint statement, AUKUS partners confirmed that delivery of the vehicles is expected to begin in 2027, Reuters reports.

The programme is intended to enhance the three nations’ reconnaissance and strike capabilities, “and bolster superiority in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare, and contested littoral manoeuvre,” the statement said. It falls under AUKUS’s “Pillar Two” initiative, which focuses on the development of advanced defence technologies, including quantum computing, undersea systems, hypersonic capabilities, artificial intelligence and cyber tools.

“The signature project will deliver a suite of highly adaptable multi-mission UUV payloads designed to support undersea operations and maintain our collective advantage in the maritime domain,” Hegseth said.

Formed in 2021, AUKUS is part of broader efforts by the three countries to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Beijing has criticised the pact as dangerous and warned it could trigger a regional arms race.

UK Defence Secretary John Healey said the project would accelerate the deployment of advanced battlefield technologies. “This will rapidly give our forces the very most advanced battlefield technologies as together we produce a range of cutting-edge sensors and weapons systems for undersea drones,” he said.

Healey added that the unmanned undersea vehicles would enhance the ability of all three countries to respond to threats, including those targeting critical underwater infrastructure such as cables and pipelines.

“For too long in AUKUS, we talked too much and delivered too little,” Healey said. He made the remarks alongside Hegseth and Australia’s defence minister on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

By Tamilla Hasanova