After Iran seized an autonomous underwater vehicle belonging to the US army at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, all eyes turned to the technology of the vehicle.
Developed by California-based defense company Anduril, Dive-LD is among the new generation autonomous underwater vehicles that can operate without human intervention for a long time.
Vehicle; It can be used to detect sea mines, map the seabed, collect intelligence and examine submarine infrastructures such as cables and pipelines.
It is stated that Dive-LD, which is approximately 5.8 meters long, can operate for up to 10 days and can dive to a depth of 6 thousand meters.
CAN IRAN COPY US TECHNOLOGY?
The capture of the vehicle by Iran led to assessments that Tehran could disassemble the system, examine its technology, and copy some parts by reverse engineering.
Bryan Clark from the Hudson Institute stated that Iranian engineers could develop similar ones by specifically examining Dive-LD's mechanical systems. However, he stated that there are protective systems in the vehicle's software against such attempts.
Farzin Nadimi from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy also said that Iran can use the seized technology to develop its own unmanned systems.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) made a statement downplaying the importance of the incident.
US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins said that the vehicle captured by Iran was an old model and was broken down before it was seized.
While Hawkins stated that Dive-LD remained motionless at sea for more than a day, he argued that the vehicle did not have sensitive data, hidden sonar or radar systems.
THE DISCOURSES OF ANDURIL AND THE US NAVY DRAW ATTENTION
The incident also brought to the fore the difference in the statements of the vehicle's manufacturer, Anduril, and the US army about Dive-LD.
While the US Navy emphasized that the seized vehicle was old and defective, Anduril had previously introduced Dive-LD as a system with high reliability and flexibility among large autonomous underwater vehicles.
Dive-LD was also used as a test platform in the development of Australia's large autonomous underwater vehicle called Ghost Shark.
The real concern for Washington is Iran's work on American military systems it had previously captured.
In 2011, Iran seized the US RQ-170 Sentinel type stealth reconnaissance UAV. The US President at the time, Barack Obama, asked the Iranian administration to return the plane.
Tehran later announced that it had reverse engineered the RQ-170 and introduced domestic UAV models bearing traces of its design to the public.
The US army prevented a similar incident from occurring in 2022. After an Iranian ship started towing a Saildrone-type unmanned marine vehicle used by the USA in the Persian Gulf, the US Navy sent a warship and helicopter to the region.
MOCKING POSTS FROM IRAN TO THE USA
The Iranian administration began to use the seizure of Dive-LD in its propaganda activities.
Iran's diplomatic representatives in different countries made sarcastic posts targeting the USA on social media.
Iran's diplomatic mission in Hyderabad shared a post stating that reverse engineering studies will begin, referring to the examination of the vehicle.
According to experts, the incident may not give Iran a decisive technological advantage on the battlefield, but it represents an important propaganda gain for Tehran.
The seizure of Dive-LD also revealed that unmanned systems are increasingly being used in the Strait of Hormuz, where military tensions between the USA and Iran intensify.
While the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that they seized the vehicle at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, the USA confirmed that the vehicle was lost.
