Royal Navy tests seabed defence tech with AUKUS allies
The Royal Navy, alongside US and Australian forces, completed Exercise Lanternfish, a six-week trial of uncrewed underwater systems to protect critical seabed infrastructure. Conducted under the AUKUS Pillar 2 agreement, the exercise took place in Virginia, Washington state, and waters off southwestern Australia. Royal Navy divers and hydrographic experts used the VideoRay Defender submersible for mine detection and the Teledyne Gavia autonomous system for surveying undersea infrastructure. The exercise aimed to improve detection, monitoring, and response to underwater threats, with a focus on interoperability and common operating procedures. The Royal Navy linked the exercise to rising threats from foreign state actors, citing Russian submarine activity near UK waters. Planning is underway for the next AUKUS Pillar 2 exercise integrating maritime, air, cyber, and space domains.
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