Sea
AUKUS partners test more than 40 uncrewed systems off Southern California
Australia, the UK and the US ran Maritime Big Play-Pacific, an AUKUS Pillar II demonstration with more than 40 government and industry systems across San Diego, San Clemente Island and Camp Pendleton. Scenarios covered strike, contested resupply and undersea warfare, including large cargo-hauling underwater drones. Officials said system deliveries begin in 2027, but export and licensing rules still slow three-way collaboration.
Illustration: Autonomy Wire (AI-generated)
Why it matters
More than 40 systems in one exercise shows the allies are past the slideware stage on Pillar II undersea autonomy. The officials’ own caveat about export rules is the real story: licensing, not technology, is the bottleneck for selling autonomous systems into AUKUS.