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The Ailing Maritime Landscape: The UK and US Join Forces to Counter the Growing Threat of Underwater Drones
The UK and US are launching a joint competition to counter the growing threat posed by underwater drones, with a focus on developing technology to detect, track, and neutralize these threats. As maritime attacks continue to escalate, the need for effective solutions has never been greater.
The US and UK are seeking technology to counter the growing threat of underwater drones. Iran is believed to be behind at least two explosive-laden sea drone attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, raising concerns about maritime vulnerability. The REEF program aims to identify defense solutions for both parties through a joint US-UK competition. British companies can apply for potential UK defense use, while American teams will assess submissions from industry players. The threat posed by underwater drones is serious, with capabilities to inflict significant damage on ships. The REEF program seeks submissions on four key areas: sensors, counteraction technologies, communications, and command and control systems. Submissions are due by April 3 for the competition run by the US DIU.
Iran's recent military actions have highlighted the growing threat posed by underwater drones, a technology that has been gaining attention in recent years. According to sources, Iran is believed to be behind at least two explosive-laden sea drone attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf since the US and Israel first attacked Iran on February 28. These attacks have raised concerns among maritime officials about the vulnerability of ships and harbors to underwater threats.
The UK and US are now looking for technology to counter this growing threat, with a joint call for submissions from industry players by the US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Ministry of Defence's Cyber & Specialist Operations Command. The competition, known as REEF (Robotic Exclusion and Engagement Framework), aims to identify potential defense solutions for both parties.
The REEF program is a bilateral scheme operated jointly by the US and UK, with American and British teams assessing submissions with the aim of identifying potential defense solutions for both parties. British companies can apply, with solutions assessed by jHub, the innovation team of the MoD's Cyber & Specialist Operations Command, for potential UK defense use.
The threat posed by underwater drones is a serious one, as they are small but experts suspect they can inflict significant damage on ships. Iran has been spotted shipping torpedo-like drones and "one-way attack" underwater drones to Houthi rebels in Yemen in 2024. These drones are believed to be capable of causing significant damage to ships, and the US and UK are looking for solutions to counter this threat.
The REEF program is seeking submissions from industry players on four key areas: sensors; counteraction technologies; communications; and command and control systems. Sensors must detect, track, and classify underwater threats, even in challenging environments, with the ability to distinguish genuine threats from natural contacts to reduce false alarms.
Counteraction or defeat capabilities could be kinetic, meaning they physically strike the UUV directly or use something like acoustic directed energy. However, both the UK and US say they are interested in decoy systems to confuse hostile underwater craft.
Communications solutions are also being sought after, with a focus on delivering secure data transmission for near real-time sensor-level visibility. This can be tricky if it involves underwater communication with something like a defensive UUV or an anti-drone torpedo, but there are some technologies available that could address this challenge.
Finally, the REEF program is looking for solutions that deliver a Common Operating Picture (COP), meaning technologies that can integrate tracking and sensor data with existing command and control (C2) systems. These systems are deployed to provide suggestions to the user via AI decision-making assistance, and must explain why a particular action is recommended.
The competition is being run and managed by the US DIU, and it says vendors are welcome to submit proposals for any components they think they can satisfy, or a complete solution. However, interested parties had better get their skates on, as the deadline to submit ideas for the challenge is April 3.
In related news, the UK Royal Navy has been working on its own underwater drone projects, such as BAE Systems' Herne, officially known as an extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV), and the similar-sized Excalibur. These are not one-way suicide drones, but Herne in particular can carry a range of mission-specific payloads, which could include depth charges or other weapons.
Meanwhile, Russia has been developing its own underwater drone technology, including the "Poseidon" weapon, which is 20 m (65 ft) long and armed with a nuclear warhead. This system is capable of destroying ports and even coastal cities, making it a serious concern for maritime officials.
The growing threat posed by underwater drones has raised concerns among maritime officials about the vulnerability of ships and harbors to these attacks. The US and UK are now looking for technology to counter this threat, with a joint call for submissions from industry players by the DIU and the MoD's Cyber & Specialist Operations Command.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/The-Ailing-Maritime-Landscape-The-UK-and-US-Join-Forces-to-Counter-the-Growing-Threat-of-Underwater-Drones-ehn.shtml
https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2026/03/27/us_and_uk_forces_auv_tender/
https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/27/us_and_uk_forces_auv_tender/
https://defencesecurityasia.com/en/us-drone-horror-iran-stealth-undersea-killers-threaten-us-carrier-strike-groups-persian-gulf/
Published: Fri Mar 27 06:48:15 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
