The drone will be employed in a variety of sea trials over the next two years, as part of an effort to accelerate the Royal Navy’s use of advanced technologies.
Last month, the Royal Navy carried out a remote control test of its Experimental Vessel (XV) Excalibur, an “Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle” (XLUUV) that truly emphasized its “remote” control capabilities. The demonstration was part of the AUKUS Pillar II effort, which is focused on the joint development of technology between the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.
The AUKUS Pillar II’s Maritime Big Play saw the XLUUV controlled from a remote operating center in Australia during the recently concluded Exercise Talisman Sabre. The undersea drone was “more than 10,000 miles from Excalibur’s home of HMNB (His Majesty’s Naval Base) Devonport in Plymouth,” the Royal Navy explained.
Contact with the Excalibur drone was maintained, even as it was submerged on the far side of the world.
“The XLUUV exercise was a big step forward in our ability to operate uncrewed systems interchangeably with Australia,” said Royal Navy Commodore Marcus Rose, deputy director of the Underwater Battlespace program.
The Royal Navy formally unveiled the 12-meter (39-foot) long unmanned vessel, which displaces 19 tonnes, earlier this year. Its development was the “culmination” of the “three-year-long Project Cetus.” It is the largest unscrewed vessel that has been built for the UK’s senior service.
According to the Royal Navy, the drone will be employed in a variety of sea trials over the next two years, as part of an effort to “accelerate the Royal Navy’s use of advanced technologies,” while it will also address the challenges that may come with remotely operating sea-based drones. It is in service with the service’s newly created Fleet Experimentation Squadron and serves as a testbed for British maritime technology.
The drone is named for the famed sword of Arthurian legend, as well as an “experimental high-speed submarine trialled by the Royal Navy in the 1950s and ’60s.”
What Can the Excalibur Drone Do?
The exact capabilities of the Excalibur XLUUV are not clear, and based on publicly-released photos, the drone does not appear to be armed. However, as a testbed, the focus is on developing remote control technology that can be employed in long-endurance surveillance and further used to carry out seabed warfare.
As New Atlas explained, although it displaces just 19 tonnes, the drone carries no crew. That means it can be “packed to the gills with equipment, sensors, and payload modules to suit particular missions.” It was further described as “the most advanced unscrewed submarine in Europe.”
The Excalibur Project Is Tied to AUKUS
The trilateral security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region, known as AUKUS, was officially announced in September 2021. The first pillar of the partnership called for the United States and the United Kingdom to assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.
AUKUS was also intended to increase cooperation on advanced cyber mechanisms, artificial intelligence and autonomy, quantum technologies, undersea capabilities, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic, electronic warfare, innovation, and information sharing.
The second pillar of the AUKUS alliance has been focused on other emerging defense technologies—and it could be extended to include Japan.
Excalibur is among the emerging technologies to come from the AUKUS Pillar II. There has been concern that the shift towards an America First agenda would scuttle the AUKUS efforts.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / Melnikov Dmitriy.
