The UK tested an underwater drone controlled from the other side of the world

The Royal Navy of Great Britain has successfully tested a new super-large unmanned underwater vehicle, Excalibur, which was controlled from a considerable distance. This is reported by Interesting Engineering.

The testing was carried out during Exercise Talisman Sabre in July, which involved forces from the UK and Australia.

A remote operations center in Australia reportedly controlled the Excalibur from a distance of more than 10,000 miles (over 16,000 km), while the craft itself was submerged in British waters.

This test was part of a series of AUKUS Pillar II Maritime Big Play projects, conducted by the US, UK and Australia to test the feasibility of collaborative use of robotics and autonomous systems at sea.

The Excalibur device itself was introduced back in May of this year, and was developed by the company MSubs, which specializes in autonomous underwater vehicles.

The UAV is 12 meters long, 2 meters wide, and has a displacement of almost 21 tons. It has a range of up to 1,000 miles (over 1,600 km) and can dive deeper than conventional Royal Navy submarines.

The drone has a modular design, which allows it to be equipped with different payloads depending on the tasks.

According to officials, Excalibur is not intended for combat use, but will serve as a test platform to develop tactics and technical requirements for integrating unmanned systems in future naval operations.

And Rear Admiral James Parkin said that Excalibur plays a crucial role in preparing the fleet for the era of autonomous naval drones.

"In our journey towards autonomy and mass, it is vital we learn by doing, and Excalibur will be our mechanism for understanding the complexity and challenges of operating a future team of crewed and uncrewed systems underwater," he explained.

Excalibur is expected to undergo extensive sea trials over the next 24 months.