The UK has fired a US torpedo from a Plymouth-made undersea drone in a major boost for Euro-Atlantic and maritime security, as both countries join forces on rapidly developing technology to keep people safe.
It comes as the Prime Minister travels to New York today to attend the UN General Assembly and hold his first meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
Major global challenges such as AI, the conflict in Ukraine and security in the Middle East are expected to dominate the agenda of the Prime Minister’s meetings in New York over the next 24 hours, as world leaders converge on the city.
The Prime Minister is expected to use the visit to drive forward global work on AI, both to ensure it is being used as a force for good and to maximise opportunities to use the technology to deliver safety and security for people at home.
His speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday evening is expected to focus on AI, making the case for the international community to harness the technology for good to drive down the cost of living and support a more stable and secure world.
As part of using AI responsibly to support people at home, the Prime Minister will announce the launch of work between the UK and US on a new AI and Autonomy partnership. This collaboration will help the UK protect critical national infrastructure, from sea lanes to air space – enabling us to detect threats and deter our adversaries using the latest AI technology developed on both sides of the Atlantic.
It will see the UK’s Ministry of Defence Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce and the US’s Department of War Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office work together on artificial intelligence and autonomy, accelerating the delivery of trusted, interoperable capabilities that enhance deterrence and both countries’ technological edge.
This will build on the next generation technology already being developed through AUKUS, the landmark partnership bringing together the US, UK, and Australia to produce a new fleet of cutting-edge attack submarines and undersea autonomous capabilities to deter adversaries long into the future.
As part of the AUKUS programme, the UK and US successfully conducted a historic live firing of a heavyweight torpedo - jointly developed by the US and Australia - designed to sink ships and deep diving submarines launched from a 12-metre-long undersea Plymouth-made drone named Excalibur.
The firing, which happened in UK waters last week, was the first time either country had launched a torpedo from an undersea uncrewed vessel, rather than a crewed submarine. This marks a major advance in the future of submarine technology for the UK, US, and Australia, and delivers a significant breakthrough for Euro-Atlantic security and NATO’s undersea advantage.
