The UK Ministry of Defence has issued a prior information notice seeking industry input on a new micro-Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) for the Diving and Threat Exploitation Group (DTXG), the UK Defence Journal understands.
The notice is intended to identify systems that meet the MoD’s minimum viable requirements rather than initiate competition.
According to the department, Alpha Squadron DTXG supports missions ranging from protecting undersea cables and pipelines in UK waters to assisting maritime special operations overseas. These tasks depend on discreet survey and reconnaissance of the underwater environment, often at long range and from small craft.
The MoD states that this creates “a capability shortfall” in very-light, diver-deployable AUVs that can be launched covertly without specialist equipment. The pre-market engagement aims to determine which commercial platforms could meet the Navy’s needs and which could support future development with an original equipment manufacturer.
The requirement focuses on a portable, single-operator system capable of environmental data gathering, seabed survey and autonomous exploratory missions. The department has set out minimum performance expectations across several areas:
• Depth performance: operation to at least 300 metres
• Portability: single-person deployment and recovery without a launch and recovery system
• Endurance: multi-hour survey missions
• Navigation and communications: autonomous capability using standard AUV technologies
• Modularity (desirable): scope for future payloads or upgrades
The MoD adds that the work is not an evaluative exercise and will not preclude any supplier from participating in a future tender. Instead, it is described as early engagement to map available technology and assess industry readiness for rapid procurement.
The planned acquisition would support discreet special operations tasking, coastal and offshore reconnaissance, and the protection of critical underwater infrastructure, according to the notice. The project is expected to be delivered between February 2026 and February 2027, with a stated value range of up to £500,000.
Sounds like it is supposed to be to an SSN what an FPV drone is to Typhoon. It’s interesting that they expect even a hand-deployed system will cost £500k.
Even mid-range compact AUVs in the commercial world (oil & gas inspection, offshore survey, marine research) routinely cost hundreds of thousands of pounds and that’s before you add the military-specific requirements.
Me thinks the DIP is imminent….
They were talking about delaying it and not confirming it’s coming out this year but this week we seem to getting alot more noise about stuff so surly it’s almost here ?
We need to start ordering things and Prehaps they have got some things signed off before the official release?!?