The development of extra-large autonomous underwater vehicles (XLAUVs) represents one of the most significant advances in undersea systems engineering in recent years, and Anduril’s Dive-XL is among the most capable examples of the type yet demonstrated.

Where conventional AUVs are typically optimised for short to medium-range survey and reconnaissance missions, the Dive-XL is designed to travel in excess of 1,000nm and to dive to depths beyond 200m, with a maximum demonstrated range of 2,000nm. During a 2024 demonstration, it completed a 100-hour continuous voyage, described by Anduril as the longest single mission recorded for a vehicle of its class. Across Anduril’s broader fleet of AUVs, accumulated operational experience now exceeds 42,355km and 6,752 hours of mission time, a dataset that underpins confidence in the platform’s long-duration reliability.

The engineering approach centres on modularity. The Dive-XL is built around an open system architecture designed to accommodate a range of mission payloads without requiring fundamental redesign of the platform. Current payload options include Anduril’s Seabed Sentry sensing system, an AI-powered technology for persistent undersea surveillance, and Copperhead, a torpedo-inspired underwater attack drone.

The modular architecture also supports future payload integration as mission requirements evolve, a design philosophy increasingly common in naval unmanned systems where the pace of operational development outstrips traditional procurement cycles.

Historically, launch and recovery has been one of the more challenging engineering problems for large AUVs. The Dive-XL addresses this with a two-point lift interface that allows deployment from a variety of host platforms, including surface ships and piers, without requiring dedicated handling infrastructure. This flexibility is operationally significant, as it means the vehicle is not tied to a specific class of host ship and can be integrated into existing fleet assets.

The vehicle is designed to operate independently or in coordination with crewed and other uncrewed systems, supporting the manned-unmanned teaming concepts now central to naval doctrine in the US, Australia and the UK. Mission roles include seabed survey, intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance, and strike support, as well as potential commercial applications in offshore energy infrastructure inspection and survey.

Anduril manufactures Dive-XL vehicles at a facility in Sydney, Australia, established in connection with the Ghost Shark programme for the Royal Australian Navy, and operates a purpose-built facility in the US at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, designed to produce dozens of Dive-XLs and hundreds of the smaller Dive-LD platform annually. The existence of dedicated, high-volume production capacity distinguishes the Dive-XL programme from many AUV developments that remain at prototype stage.

This article appeared in Technical, TNA May/June 2026.