The AUKUS alliance — comprising the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia — has announced a major expansion of its defence cooperation with plans to jointly develop and deploy advanced autonomous undersea drones starting in 2027. The move underscores the bloc’s growing focus on next‑generation maritime technologies as strategic competition intensifies across the Indo‑Pacific.
The announcement was made at the Shangri‑La Dialogue in Singapore, where US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the new programme would significantly enhance the allies’ ability to conduct surveillance, reconnaissance and strike operations beneath the sea surface. He described the initiative as a critical step in strengthening collective deterrence at a time when undersea warfare is becoming increasingly central to regional security.
The project falls under AUKUS Pillar Two, a framework dedicated to advanced military technologies including artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, quantum computing, hypersonics and undersea systems. While public attention has largely focused on AUKUS’s nuclear‑powered submarine plans, officials said the latest initiative highlights a growing emphasis on autonomous and unmanned platforms that can operate in contested environments.
In a joint statement, the three countries said the programme would boost capabilities in anti‑submarine warfare, anti‑surface operations, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare and manoeuvres in complex coastal zones. Hegseth said the “signature project” would deliver a suite of highly adaptable multi‑mission UUV payloads designed to maintain the alliance’s technological edge in the maritime domain.
Britain’s Defence Secretary John Healey said the collaboration would rapidly equip AUKUS forces with “the most advanced battlefield technologies,” including cutting‑edge sensors and weapons systems for undersea drones.
Formed in 2021, AUKUS aims to counter China’s expanding influence in the Indo‑Pacific. Beijing has condemned the pact as destabilising and warned it could trigger a regional arms race.