Iran likely to reverse-engineer captured US underwater drone

Iran’s capture of a US military underwater drone gives Tehran an opportunity to study and potentially reverse-engineer the vessel, delivering a setback for the Pentagon and drone maker Anduril.The US military and Anduril have downplayed the significance of the drone falling into Iranian hands.The vessel, a Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle designed for long-range surveillance and other undersea missions, is among a new ‌generation of military drones intended to operate for days with little human intervention.Washington has previously treated the loss of advanced drones to Iran as a serious matter.After Iran captured an RQ-170 Sentinel stealth reconnaissance drone in 2011, then US President Barack Obama publicly asked Tehran to return the aircraft. Iran later claimed it had reverse-engineered the drone and subsequently unveiled domestically produced models that appeared to draw heavily on its design.An image shows what Iran’s navy and state television described as a captured US military underwater drone at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Photo: Sepahnews via APMore recently, the US military moved swiftly to prevent Iranian forces from taking possession of uncrewed maritime technology.