Australia remotely fires US torpedo from British unmanned submarine
Britain and the US test-fired a heavyweight torpedo from an unmanned submarine in UK waters remotely controlled by Australia 16,000 kilometres away.
In a first for the AUKUS alliance, the US and UK test-fired a heavyweight torpedo last week in UK waters. The torpedo was made together by the US and Australia.
A 12-metre-long British-made undersea drone named XV Excalibur launched the live torpedo. An operating centre in Australia took remote control.
It was more than 16,000 kilometres from Plymouth, where the vessel is based. The UK government called the test a major advance in submarine technology.
They also called it a significant breakthrough for Euro-Atlantic security. A senior research fellow at the RUSI think-tank said the test is important.
It shows uncrewed systems can carry lethal payloads and do more than watch.
- UK waters, launched from Plymouth
- Test location
- 16,000 kilometres from Australia
- Remote control distance
- XV Excalibur, 12 metres long
- Vessel name and length
Why it mattersThe breakthrough shows Western allies can now send out self-controlled underwater weapons controlled from far away, strengthening their defence against threats from Russia and Iran.
AustraliaAustralia has gained real-time combat capability through AUKUS, operating advanced weapons systems from home soil alongside US and UK partners.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 d ago
