UK Royal Navy buys autonomous uncrewed submarine
A rendering of the UK RN's future Cetus XLAUV in a shipping container. (Photo: UK MoD/Crown Copyright)
The UK Royal Navy envisages large uncrewed submarines will one day operate alongside their crewed counterparts.
The UK RN has ordered its first uncrewed submarine as it seeks to develop a new concept for underwater operations.
Under a previously released timeline, design work will be completed in FY2022-23, and the demonstrator will be delivered in FY2023-24.
The XLAUV, bought under Project Cetus, will monitor adversaries, listen for ships and submarines and keep tabs on critical national infrastructure on the seabed, such as cables and pipelines.
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: 'In order to meet the growing threats to our underwater infrastructure, the Royal Navy needs to be ahead of the competition with cutting-edge
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