US, UK and Australia to develop underwater drone technology

The US, UK and Australia say they will develop underwater drone technology to protect undersea cables and boost defence, under their military alliance known as Aukus.The uncrewed undersea vehicle (UUV) technology is expected to be ready by next year. While the project's total cost was not stated, British defence secretary John Healey said the UK would contribute £150m ($201m).The announcement, made by the countries' defence ministers at a security summit in Singapore, follows claims of slow progress in Aukus's projects.Acknowledging the criticism, Healey said "for too long in Aukus, we talked too much and delivered too little", adding "that has now changed under our three governments".The Aukus defence pact, which began in 2021, sees the three countries developing nuclear submarines and sharing military expertise.It is widely seen as a way to counter China's growing maritime presence in the Indo-Pacific and its role in rising tensions in disputed territories such as the China-sea" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="8346" data-entity-type="location">South China Sea.The UUV technology is the first signature project under Aukus's Pillar Two, where the partner countries work together on "advanced capabilities" in areas such as long-range hypersonic missiles, undersea robotics and AI.A joint statement said the new project would see "cutting edge payloads and enabling systems" developed for UUVs which could protect seabed infrastructure, conduct strikes, surveil and do reconnaissance, and conduct logistics operations.