The submarine portion of the AUKUS trilateral alliance between Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. is still in development, with a focus on advanced technology that will take decades to fully implement. The agreement includes eight working groups dedicated to cyber, quantum, artificial intelligence, electronic warfare, hypersonics, undersea warfare, information sharing, and innovation. The undersea warfare working group, under the leadership of Dan Packer, is working on four lines of effort, including investing in small unmanned underwater vehicles with torpedo tube launch and recover capabilities.
There have been successful demonstrations conducted by the U.S. Navy using different UUVs on both the East and West Coasts. Companies are experimenting with technology to help these UUVs navigate various water conditions and safely return to the submarine’s torpedo tube for stealthy operations. The U.K. Royal Navy also plans to test this capability on their submarines and scale up based on the results.
Another focus is on developing unmanned systems that can scan the seabed and ensure undersea cables remain secure. There are efforts to collectively develop effectors for these seabed warfare UUVs and to enhance acoustic performance of anti-submarine warfare airplanes using artificial intelligence tools. The collaboration aims to strengthen naval modernization priorities and improve undersea warfare capabilities for all three nations.
