US, Britain, Australia to develop unmanned undersea vehicles

The United States, Britain and Australia are working together to develop unmanned undersea vehicles as part of their trilateral Aukus defence pact, US secretary of defence Pete Hegseth told reporters on Saturday. Aukus said in a joint statement that delivery of the vehicles will start in 2027. The programme will improve 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. The programme comes under Aukus's so-called "Pillar Two" to develop advanced defence technology including quantum computing, undersea, hypersonic, artificial intelligence and cyber technology. "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.