The UK’s Royal Navy has shared an update on its progress in the development and testing of a large unmanned submarine. The new submarine drone is actually ‘extra large’ at 12m (~40ft) and is thus classed as an Extra Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV). One of the headlining abilities of this unmanned vessel, aptly dubbed Excalibur, is the ability to control it while it is “submerged on the other side of the world.”
We got some more Excalibur specs ahead of the latest round of testing, when this XLUUV was first unwrapped, back in May. In addition to its length, noted above, we know this sub is 2m (~6.5ft) wide, and displaces 19 tonnes of seawater. The project caps the three-year-long Project Cetus, and becomes the largest uncrewed underwater vessel available to the Royal Navy.
