UK hunts for extra large autonomous underwater vehicle
Concept image of the MSubs developed extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV). (Photo: MSubs)
The UK RN is increasingly looking to fill roles across its fleet with autonomous or uncrewed capabilities.
The UK's Submarine Delivery Agency Autonomy Unit has issued a tender worth up to £21.5 million for the procurement and trialling of an 8-12m Extra-Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XL-AUV), dubbed Project CETUS.
The resultant XL-AUV will be used to help the RN de-risk the full procurement of future UUVs.
The RN already owns an MSubs extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle (XLUUV) which is currently being used to test different payloads through the UK Defence and Security Accelerator's (DASA's) 'Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle Testbed – Opportunity to Integrate' competition.
The Project CETUS work follows on from XLUUV experimentation and will be the service's
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
![RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity]()
RTX Raytheon enhances SM-3 and SM-6 production capacity
The expansion of the Redstone facility in Alabama will enable Raytheon to increase production of Standard Missiles in the location by 50% and support Washington in refilling stockpiles after recent operations have depleted the Pentagon’s reserves.
-
![What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement]()
What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
-
![HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment]()
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
-
![How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China]()
How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China
The offensive against Iran could impact training and maintenance cycles and accelerate the degradation of the US arsenal on top of depleting Washington’s stockpiles.
