The U.S. and U.K. navies successfully launched an American MK 48 torpedo from a British uncrewed underwater vehicle on Sept. 13, 2026, marking the first such launch from an unmanned platform for the two countries, according to a U.S. Navy statement.
The trial took place at the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Center in Scotland. During the test, a 19-foot-long, 3,744-pound MK 48 torpedo was strapped to the underside of the XV Excalibur undersea drone and released, according to video released by the Navy.
The project was implemented in less than seven months as part of the trilateral AUKUS security partnership between Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., the Navy said in a statement Tuesday.
“We are increasing the flexibility, scale and combat power of our combined forces and ensuring they are ready to meet the strategic demands of tomorrow,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, said in the statement.
The test confirmed that the torpedo and drone worked together mechanically and electronically, including their software, “proving that allied forces can rapidly achieve weapon interchangeability,” the Navy said.
The MK 48 is an acoustic-homing torpedo used by all classes of U.S. submarines. It carries a 650-pound warhead and has sophisticated sonar, digital guidance and control systems and digital fusing systems, according to the Navy.
Unveiled in May 2025, the 39-foot-long XV Excalibur displaces nearly 21 tons and is Britain’s largest uncrewed undersea vehicle, according to the U.K. navy.
The test also served as notice of NATO capabilities “in securing the north Atlantic, especially against those nations that wish to do us harm, like Russia,” Luke Pollard, U.K. minister for defense readiness and industry, told a British radio station.
Following the successful deployment, the Navy and its international partners will work on integrating other equipment, improving how the vehicles are controlled and developing ways to use them in operations, the service said.
“We are not waiting 10 years for a single bespoke platform,” Vice Adm. Seiko Okano, director of the Navy’s Rapid Capabilities Office, said in the statement. “We are pioneering a modular, software-defined, open-systems approach that integrates allied hardware with commercial innovation to rapidly scale distributed lethality.”
Sources: USNI News · Stars and Stripes