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The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that the United Kingdom will lead the development and delivery of three advanced undersea sensor payloads for uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) under the AUKUS security partnership
Published on October 27, 2026, the announcement follows successful trials at the trilateral “Maritime Big Play” (MBP) exercise in San Diego and advances the first signature project under AUKUS Pillar II, which focuses on advanced capability sharing between Australia, the UK, and the United States.
Technical specifications and capability delivery
The project aims to integrate cutting-edge undersea sensor packages across the autonomous underwater fleets of all three AUKUS nations by 2027, enhancing subsea surveillance and critical national infrastructure protection.
Synthetic Aperture Sonar
Provides high-resolution seabed and underwater mapping to identify subtle anomalies and threats across vast ocean domains.
Deployable Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Sensor
Enables UUVs to detect, track, and classify hostile submarine activity autonomously over long ranges.
Deployable Non-Kinetic Effector
Generates specialised subsea effects to disrupt or counter underwater hazards without relying on traditional explosive ordnance.
Exercise “Maritime Big Play” and industrial participation
The Maritime Big Play exercise in San Diego served as an operational proving ground to integrate autonomous platforms into allied naval operations.
The UK led the exercise’s Anti-Submarine Warfare strand, deploying 13 uncrewed surface vehicles, two ASW targets, and four underwater gliders provided by six defence partners.
The initiative supports the Royal Navy’s transition toward a “Hybrid Navy”, a force structure combining crewed warships with uncrewed systems. Key UK defence suppliers and Maritime Innovation Challenge winners leading this development include:
SEA Ltd (Frome): Developing command, control, and acoustic sensor technologies.
Decision Analysis Services Ltd (Basingstoke): Providing expertise in autonomous system control architectures.
A2i (Dorchester): Specialising in subsea software and integration capabilities.
MSI Transducers: Contributing specialised subsea transducer systems.
Strategic and Interoperability Milestones
The announcement follows additional AUKUS Pillar II achievements earlier in October 2026, including the successful test firing of a US-Australian heavyweight torpedo from the UK’s extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle, XV Excalibur, a historic first for an autonomous submarine platform.
Supported by the UK’s four-year £298 billion Defence Investment Plan, the undersea payload initiative aims to bolster strategic deterrence across the Euro-Atlantic, High North, and Indo-Pacific regions.