Aukus partners announce underwater drone project to protect subsea cables

The project forms the first signature initiative under the second pillar of the Aukus agreement. Officials said the drones will carry multi-mission payloads including sensors and weapons systems for undersea operations.

Cable incidents cited Australia's defence minister said undersea cables have been cut at an unprecedented rate over the past 18 months. He cited five incidents in the Taiwan Strait attributed to China and three in the Baltic Sea alleged to involve Russia.

The minister stated that 99 percent of Australia's internet traffic passes through 15 subsea cables. He described the infrastructure as critical to financial systems, health services and national communications.