AUKUS launches submarine drone program to protect undersea cables

The United Kingdom, United States and Australia announced a joint initiative under the AUKUS defence partnership to develop and field unmanned underwater vehicles aimed at safeguarding critical undersea cables and pipelines. The programme was unveiled at a defence ministers' meeting in Singapore, with the first systems expected to become operational by 2027.

The drones will be equipped with sensors and weapons to detect and counter sabotage threats from Russian, Chinese and other state actors, and will augment existing projects such as the UK's Atlantic Bastion system. Officials highlighted that the cables, carrying up to 99 % of intercontinental data and energy flows, are “the arteries of modern civilisation”, and that recent attacks on undersea infrastructure have risen dramatically.