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The United States, Australia and the United Kingdom completed a three-week maritime technology demonstration on October 25, 2026, testing more than 40 government and industry systems designed to strengthen undersea warfare, strike operations and military resupply.

The Maritime Big Play-Pacific started on October 5, 2026, off the coast of South Carolina and brought together military personnel, engineers and defense companies to evaluate how crewed and uncrewed platforms can operate together in contested maritime environments.

The demonstration was organized under Pillar II of the AUKUS security partnership. Hosted by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, the U.S. Pacific Fleet and the Marine Corps, activities took place around San Diego, San Clemente Island and Camp Pendleton.

The trials focused on practical military applications, including autonomous underwater vehicles, uncrewed surface vessels, aerial drones, acoustic sensors, and systems designed to maintain supply routes under enemy attack.

Testing Autonomous Systems in Contested Waters

The exercise examined how allied forces could conduct operations when conventional logistics and communications face disruption from threats in the air, on the ocean surface, and underwater. The scenario involved forces moving across island chains while an opposing force attempted to interfere with resupply and support operations.

Demonstrations included coordinated uncrewed surface vessel maneuvers, anti-submarine warfare trials and the use of autonomous platforms to transport equipment and deploy specialized payloads.

Michael Dodd, assistant secretary for critical technologies in the U.S. Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering, said the objective was to identify areas where cooperation could provide an operational advantage beyond what any one country could achieve as efficiently alone.

Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific requires real, deployable lethality. Watch my recap from Maritime Big Play Pacific DVDay on how #AUKUS is taking advanced autonomous capabilities from the lab straight to our operators. https://t.co/fyIMQAhmpi

— Assistant Secretary of War Mike Dodd (@ASWCTDoddFather) October 21, 2026

He said the demonstrations brought military operators, technical specialists and private companies together early in the development process so that systems could be tested under demanding conditions and designed to work with allied equipment from the outset.

Gerry Tighe, director of the Maritime Big Play program and a former naval aviator, said the trials were intended to demonstrate how sensors and autonomous platforms could provide advantages in a maritime battlespace where traditional supply operations are vulnerable.

The results will inform further experimentation, capability development and the integration of equipment into the three countries’ armed forces.

The demonstration forms part of AUKUS Pillar II, which focuses on advanced capabilities and technology cooperation. While the wider AUKUS agreement also covers Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines, Pillar II includes autonomous systems, undersea warfare, advanced communications and other emerging military technologies.

Hadalus-XL: Undersea Transport Capabilities

One of the systems tested was the Hadalus-XL extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle developed by Rhode Island-based Composite Energy Technologies. Measuring 34 feet long, the autonomous vehicle is designed to carry several tons of cargo and transport equipment into areas that may be difficult or dangerous for crewed vessels to reach.

Its panels and components can fold flat for transport in a standard 20-foot container, allowing the vehicle to be assembled or disassembled using basic tools. Ben Rosenthal, the company’s chief technology officer, described it as a maritime equivalent of a pickup truck because of its ability to move heavy equipment into position. During the demonstration, Hadalus-XL spent five days at sea and carried a launcher system designed to deploy six drums.

The battery-powered vehicle has its own navigation sensors and autonomous control systems, enabling it to operate underwater without a crew aboard. Its carbon-fiber composite construction is intended to reduce its acoustic signature, making it more difficult to detect.

Rosenthal said the exercise provided valuable operational data on the vehicle’s visibility in the water and its potential use in missions involving logistics, surveillance and support for maritime forces.

Composite Energy Technologies said it can currently manufacture 110 underwater vehicles per month at its Rhode Island facility, with the possibility of expanding production. The company and its partners are also working through a contract with the U.S. Marine Corps for a smaller uncrewed underwater vehicle.

Ghost Shark and Dive-XL Expand Payload Options

Australia’s Ghost Shark program, developed by Anduril Australia in partnership with the Australian government, was another major focus of the demonstration. The extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle is being developed for missions that can include surveillance, undersea warfare and the deployment of different payloads. Officials highlighted work on configurations intended to carry sea mines, aerial drones, sonar equipment and supplies.

A related Anduril Australia system, Dive-XL, also participated in the trials. The vehicle can be transported in a standard 40-foot container and configured to carry multiple payloads, including Ultra Maritime’s Sea Spear deployable acoustic array. The array can be positioned on the seabed to detect passing underwater contacts and communicate information between networked sensor nodes.

Dive-XL’s modular payload bays can also accommodate Copperhead uncrewed underwater vehicles, systems described by the company as Mark 48 torpedo equivalents, and Seabed Sentry equipment.

Tim Rochholz, Anduril Maritime’s director of fleet integration and U.S. extra-large vehicle programs, said collecting undersea data was only part of the challenge. Forces must also be able to transmit information from the seabed and use it to support operational decisions.

The trials demonstrated the importance of integrating different sensors, vehicles and communications systems rather than treating each platform as a separate capability. Such integration is central to Pillar II’s objective of allowing the three countries to combine equipment developed by different military organizations and private companies.

Surface Vessels and Undersea Detection Systems

Uncrewed surface vessels also took part in the trials, including Australia’s Bluebottle platforms developed by Ocius Technology. The vessels can operate with towed sonar arrays to search for underwater threats, providing maritime forces with additional surveillance options without placing crews directly in danger.

Three Corsair uncrewed surface vessels performed high-speed tactical maneuvers between San Diego and San Clemente Island on October 20. The demonstration showed how multiple autonomous vessels could coordinate their movements during maritime operations.

The exercise also included Seaber’s RECALL underwater vehicle, distributed by UK-based RS Aqua. The small, recoverable vehicle acted as a simulated submarine during anti-submarine warfare trials, emitting acoustic signals at different frequencies to imitate underwater threats. It can operate at depths of up to 300 meters and can be recovered and reused, reducing the cost of repeated training and testing. John Peters, an ocean systems technician with RS Aqua, said participating systems successfully detected the vehicle during the demonstrations.

Other technologies included acoustic intelligence equipment from ThayerMahan and underwater systems designed for reconnaissance and surveillance. Together, the trials examined how sensors deployed on different platforms could detect underwater activity and share information with allied forces.

AUKUS Pillar Il in action. 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇬🇧 This week, Australia, the US and UK are working side by side during Maritime Big Play Pacific, testing advanced capabilities and strengthening our ability to operate together. https://t.co/5DkwWrp9Au

— Australian Embassy, USA (@AusintheUS) October 20, 2026

AUKUS Partners to Reduce Technology Barriers

Officials said improving interoperability requires changes not only to military equipment but also to the regulations governing defense technology transfers. U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) control the export and transfer of many defense-related technologies, and differences in national rules can slow cooperation among companies and military organizations.

Michael Dodd said the partners were working to identify regulatory obstacles and address them collectively. UK AUKUS representative Sir Stephen Lovegrove said further work was needed to remove bureaucratic barriers and clarify exemptions for technologies shared among the three countries.

Australia’s David Nockels, first assistant secretary for defense trade, regulation and industrial collaboration, said changes to licensing requirements had already helped companies work together more efficiently. Reducing unnecessary restrictions could allow developers to improve systems and move technologies toward operational use more quickly, although regulatory work remains ongoing.

Lovegrove emphasized that the purpose was not simply to select the best equipment from each country, but to ensure that different systems could operate as a coordinated whole. He said the partnership’s effectiveness would depend on the ability of its armed forces to use compatible equipment, tactics and procedures during joint operations.

Royal Navy Moves Toward a Hybrid Fleet

The Royal Navy is among the services seeking to combine traditional crewed ships with autonomous platforms. Second Sea Lord Vice Adm. Paul Beattie said uncrewed systems could enhance the capabilities of existing vessels, allowing personnel to remain farther from potential threats while deploying sensors closer to enemy submarines.

The Royal Navy has already begun operationally deploying the Kraken uncrewed surface vessel and is acquiring 20 vessels through a contract with UK-based Kraken Technology Group. During the Maritime Big Play-Pacific demonstration, a Kraken platform launched three aerial drones that were controlled by a single operator.

^{AUKUS Maritime Big Play demonstration. (Image Credit: IRIA)}

Cmdr. Ed Smith, the Royal Navy’s principal warfare officer for the underwater environment, said using relatively inexpensive systems controlled by fewer personnel could allow the service to deploy greater numbers of platforms. In anti-submarine warfare, uncrewed vehicles can position sensors closer to a suspected submarine while keeping crewed ships and their personnel at a safer distance.

However, officials stressed that autonomous technology would not eliminate the need for human oversight. Capt. Keith Taylor, who oversees autonomy and uncrewed systems within the Royal Navy’s capability directorate, said personnel would increasingly operate and manage systems from remote centers as more autonomous platforms enter service. He expects the balance between crewed and uncrewed capabilities to change significantly over the next five to 10 years.

The three AUKUS countries will determine their own balance of crewed and uncrewed platforms, while continuing to develop the procedures needed to operate together. Officials said autonomous systems could extend surveillance, improve operational endurance and reduce the number of personnel exposed to danger, but human involvement would remain necessary to manage their use and ensure that they deliver the intended military effects.

Capabilities for Multiple Maritime Regions

Although the October demonstration used scenarios based on the Indo-Pacific, officials said the technologies being developed through Pillar II could support operations in other regions. Lovegrove said the United Kingdom’s priorities also include the North Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the High North, where British officials view Russian military activity as a major security concern.

Royal Navy officials have highlighted the importance of monitoring maritime activity and protecting undersea infrastructure, including communication cables and pipelines. Beattie said the service was continuing to track vessels and respond to activities that could threaten these critical connections.

The Maritime Big Play-Pacific demonstration brought together more than 40 government and industry systems to assess their performance under realistic conditions. Its findings will support further experimentation and the development of autonomous maritime capabilities, with initial Pillar II systems and payloads scheduled to begin delivery in 2027.