UK’s Royal Navy tests 40-foot submarine drone which can be operated from ‘the other side of the world’

The UK's Royal Navy has shared an update on its progress in the development and testing of a large unmanned submarine. The new submarine drone is actually 'extra large' at 12m (~40ft) and is thus classed as an Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV). One of the headlining abilities of this unmanned vessel, aptly dubbed Excalibur, is the ability to control it while it is "submerged on the other side of the world."

We got some more Excalibur specs ahead of the latest round of testing, when this XLUUV was first unwrapped, back in May. In addition to its length, noted above, we know this sub is 2m (~6.5ft) wide, and displaces 19 tonnes of seawater. The project caps the three-year-long Project Cetus, and becomes the largest uncrewed underwater vessel available to the Royal Navy.

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(Image credit: The Royal Navy )(Image credit: The Royal Navy )(Image credit: The Royal Navy )Australia to the UK

In the recent sea trials the UK and Australia, as part of AUKUS Pillar II, tested the capabilities of Excalibur. The vessel, built by Plymouth (UK) based MSubs, was successfully operated in UK waters from a remote operating center in Australia.

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Thus, it is reasonable to claim the unmanned Excalibur has a long reach. According to the Royal Navy blog, the Australian controllers were "more than 10,000 miles" away.

Joining the UK and Australia, the U.S. (as part of AUKUS) has been taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre and the trials of this XLUUV. A growing number of non AUKUS nations, such as France, Japan, and South Korea, either participated or observed in this large military exercise, in the waters near Papua New Guinea this July.

How deadly is Excalibur?

So, what is an Excalibur XLUUV capable of? The Royal Navy sources don't seem to be very specific about what this large drone can do. However, we saw a report around the time of its unveiling which shone a little more light on the vessel's potential capabilities.

In brief, Navy Lookout describes the Excalibur as a technology demonstrator. Its designers are trialing "long-endurance surveillance, seabed wa rfare, and deployment of sensors or payloads in denied or contested environment," says the navy news and analysis site.

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