The United Kingdom, United States and Australia have formally consented to a joint programme to develop and produce kits for underwater military drones, marking the first major project to emerge under the advanced-technology pillar of the AUKUS defence pact. The agreement, which commits the three allies to building interoperable payloads for uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), represents a deliberate shift from what the UK Defence Secretary, John Healey, described as a period where “we talked too much and delivered too little.”
The consent given by the three nations covers the collaborative design, testing and manufacture of sensors and weapons systems that will be interchangeable across each country’s fleet of underwater drones. The UK government has allocated £150 million (approximately $201.8 million) to the project. The first equipment is expected to be delivered as early as next year, with initial payloads reaching the armed forces in 2027.
The decision to proceed with this initiative follows persistent criticism that the AUKUS partnership, launched in 2021 to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, had been moving too slowly. Healey’s remarks, made at the time of the announcement, underscored a determination to accelerate delivery under Pillar 2 of AUKUS, which focuses on the joint development of advanced military technologies. Pillar 1, by contrast, is dedicated to providing Australia with a fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.
The consent mechanism: how the drone programme works
The agreement centres on what defence officials term “payloads” — the mission-specific equipment carried by UUVs. These include advanced sensors for surveillance and reconnaissance, weapons for strike and anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare systems, and equipment to protect seabed infrastructure such as internet cables and pipelines. The payloads are designed to be fitted to existing and future uncrewed underwater vehicles operated by the Royal Navy, the US Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, ensuring that the three nations can operate seamlessly together.
A key objective is to increase interoperability through shared standards, trilateral operational concepts and common control systems. This means that a drone operated by one country could, in theory, be equipped and commanded by another. The development also supports the Royal Navy’s transition to what it calls a “hybrid navy” model, blending crewed vessels with increasingly autonomous uncrewed platforms.
The project draws on a wide range of homegrown and international defence companies. Among the underwater vehicles in development or already in service are Australia’s “Speartooth” large UUVs, designed for affordable, scalable undersea operations with high autonomy and stealth. The Australian firm C2 Robotics has already sold three of its underwater vehicles to the United States, described by officials as capable of performing “big missions that otherwise submarines wouldn’t be able to do.” Saab’s Autonomous Ocean Drone is designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions, installation of seabed ISR systems, object delivery and future combat capabilities such as torpedo launches. Lockheed Martin has developed the “Lamprey” UUV, which can attach to ship hulls to collect intelligence and potentially deploy decoys or aerial drones.
Search and surveillance: the missions ahead
The underwater drones are intended to perform a broad spectrum of missions. These include surveillance and reconnaissance, strike operations, logistics support, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare, protecting subsea cables and pipelines, and detecting underwater threats. The development of payloads that can be swapped between drones depending on the mission is intended to give commanders flexibility without requiring entirely new vehicle designs.
The strategic context is driven by the need to monitor and protect critical seabed infrastructure that has recently attracted increased attention and potential threats. The AUKUS partners view these underwater capabilities as a means to bolster collective deterrence and maintain security in the Indo-Pacific, where China has labelled the alliance dangerous and warned it could spur a regional arms race. Other regional reactions have been mixed: Vietnam is said to quietly welcome the partnership as a counterweight to Chinese aggression, while ASEAN members such as Indonesia and Malaysia express suspicion that AUKUS challenges “ASEAN centrality” and risks triggering an arms race. Japan sees the pact as one of several multilateral frameworks, and India, while officially neutral, is understood to welcome the strengthening of its strategic partners.
The broader Pillar 2 collaboration encompasses six key technological areas: undersea capabilities, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and autonomy, advanced cyber, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities, and electronic warfare. The new drone kit project is the first signature initiative to be formally announced under this pillar.
Privacy, ethics and the challenges of autonomous warfare
The development of autonomous underwater systems raises significant questions of trust, escalation and ethical decision-making. Warfighters need to be confident in unproven systems, requiring thorough testing and exercises before they are deployed in operational scenarios. Integrating revolutionary technologies into existing naval doctrine demands new tactics, training and command structures. The rise of autonomous maritime systems introduces particular challenges around the ethics of autonomous decision-making, especially when weapons may be involved.
Another pressing challenge is delivering sufficient power for long-duration missions and ensuring real-time data communication from underwater platforms, where signals are notoriously difficult to maintain. These technical hurdles are being addressed alongside the development of common control systems and operational concepts.
The AUKUS underwater drone programme is part of a broader evolution in maritime warfare, as autonomous systems begin to revolutionise how navies operate. The Royal Navy’s “hybrid” model, combining crewed and uncrewed platforms, is being mirrored by the other two nations. The potential for drone swarms and integrated multi-domain operations is seen as a paradigm shift that will change the nature of undersea conflict and surveillance.
On the industrial side, the UK government expects the project to back British businesses and drive economic growth, creating skilled jobs. Three British companies were named among the winners of the UK 2025 AUKUS Maritime Innovation Challenge, receiving a share of £3 million to develop and test their capabilities. Major players in the underwater warfare industry, including Raytheon Technologies, L3Harris, Elbit Systems, Northrop Grumman and Thyssenkrupp, are involved in various capacities. BAE Systems is active in advanced anti-submarine warships and submarine periscope systems in Australia, while Thales UK holds a leading position in underwater systems, sonar, mine countermeasures and anti-submarine warfare. Lockheed Martin remains a significant partner in advanced undersea systems and autonomous vehicles.
The Geelong Treaty, signed in July 2025, provides a framework for deep bilateral defence cooperation between the UK and Australia, complementing the trilateral AUKUS structure. Under Pillar 1, Australia will acquire at least eight conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines. Recent adjustments to that plan include Australia forgoing the purchase of a new-build Virginia-class submarine from the US and acquiring an ex-US Navy boat instead, with the potential for up to three such boats. US and UK nuclear-powered submarines will rotate through HMAS Stirling in Australia, with US submarine rotations expected to begin by the end of 2027, followed by UK Astute-class boats. This follows the first successful submarine maintenance period for a UK submarine at HMAS Stirling.
