"Excellent opportunity": Futuristic underwater drones tested on huge HMS Prince of Wales Australia exercise

British and Australian engineers joined forces to test un-crewed systems which will be used to protect undersea cables from harm. This took place during Exercise Talisman Sabre, which saw HMS Prince of Wales take part in a huge operation involving more than 30,000 military personnel and 19 nations.

The Royal Navy’s Mine Warfare Battlestaff, Mine and Threat Exploitation Group, and Diving and Threat Exploitation Group, took part in the exercise by testing underwater vehicles. As part of AUKUS Pillar II Undersea Warfare Capability Development, the US, UK, and Australia, are developing new ways of monitoring critical infrastructure and scoping out threats.

“Excellent opportunity”

AUKUS partners deployed aboard the Australian Defence Vessel Guidance for the two-week exercise. Battlestaff had seabed warfare command and control of a trilateral group from a ship at sea for the first time.

Underwater drones and more than 17 joint remotely-operated vehicle missions were successfully conducted. Lieutenant Commander Josh Beale, Executive Officer of the MWBS team, led the British contingent.

He said: “The opportunity for the UK to lead the trilateral team has been a real privilege. This exercise not only fostered joint capability development but also provided a realistic operational scenario that my team had to navigate - and may be called upon to fulfil in future operations.”

Commodore Marcus Rose RN, Deputy Director Underwater Battlespace, added: “These operational exercises are an excellent opportunity to accelerate our understanding of seabed warfare capabilities and to get them to warfighting as quickly as possible.”

Visit our newsletter page today and sign up for a great range of free emails featuring the city’s biggest news and sport headlines

Plans are in motion for another experiment later this year, with another large scale operation similar to Talisman Sabre set out for 2026. HMS Prince of Wales is currently in Tokyo, underscoring the UK’s relationship with Japan.

Defence secretary John Healey previously said: “The UK-Japan partnership is one of the strongest in the Indo-Pacific and continues to deliver real benefits for both countries through programmes like GCAP.

“It was a privilege to welcome the sailors, soldiers and aviators on board HMS Prince of Wales to Japan and thank them for their tireless work on this deployment. The Carrier Strike Group helps the UK to strengthen alliances and cement new partnerships, ensuring the UK is secure at home and strong abroad.”