BAE Systems surfaces autonomous submarine for military use

BAE Systems is advancing its Herne extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV), confirming a 10-year partnership with Cellula Robotics and targeting a working craft by end of 2026 after successful 2024 ISR trials; the battery-powered platform offers up to 5,000 km range, 45-day endurance, and modular payload capacity for missions including infrastructure protection, ASW, and covert surveillance. The UK is also progressing related capabilities with the Royal Navy’s Excalibur demonstrator and ASW Spearhead program upgrades, including a modernized Sonar 2087 interface and enhanced Merlin helicopter acoustic processing for multi-sonobuoy data.