U.S., Australia, Britain Launch First AUKUS Project on Uncrewed Undersea Vehicles

The United States, Australia and Britain announced the first AUKUS Pillar 2 signature project on May 31, 2026, focused on fielding advanced uncrewed undersea vehicles. U.S. Embassy in Singapore during the Shangri-La Dialogue. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and British Defense Secretary John Healey joined him for an AUKUS defense ministers' news conference at the same location.

The project will deliver a suite of highly adaptable multi-mission UUV payloads designed to support undersea operations.

John Healey said the planned technology includes a range of cutting-edge sensors and weapons systems for undersea drones. The systems will be deployed on uncrewed underwater vessels, he added. AUKUS Pillar 1 focuses on Australia’s acquisition of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines.

Pillar 2 pools the defense industrial capabilities of the three nations to develop advanced military technologies. The pact is framed by its members as supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific. Australia will acquire three in-service Virginia-class submarines instead of a mixture of new and in-service variants.

The change was announced in a joint statement on May 31, 2026. The revised approach is intended to streamline supply chain management, operational and maintenance requirements, and maximize cost efficiencies. S.

3 new submarines per year by 2032. The protection of underwater infrastructure was a major topic of discussion at the Shangri-La Dialogue. Richard Marles said the seabed has become a major field of contest over the past 18 months.

He stated there have been a series of attacks against subsea critical infrastructure at a scale and frequency that is historically unprecedented. Several incidents in the past two years involved seabed cables damaged by ships in the Baltic and around the Asian region. Nearly all of Australia’s internet traffic flows through 15 subsea cables, Canberra’s top diplomat pointed out.