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Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have successfully tested advanced underwater communications with autonomous systems during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, marking a key milestone under AUKUS Pillar II’s “Maritime Big Play” initiative.
The Maritime Big Play exercise series is designed to accelerate the integration of autonomous maritime technologies with traditional naval platforms, with the aim to enhance the ability of AUKUS partners to deter and deny threats both above and beneath the sea surface.
For the first time, Japan joined the trilateral activities as a participating nation, reinforcing growing regional defence cooperation.
“Maritime Big Play tangibly contributes to AUKUS partners’ interoperability in the maritime domain and supports collective deterrence and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” said Stephen Moore, first assistant secretary, AUKUS Advanced Capabilities.
During the exercise, forces from the four nations worked collaboratively to task an underwater uncrewed vehicle using underwater acoustic communications – an essential capability in future undersea operations. This builds on earlier demonstrations in October last year, when AUKUS members successfully controlled each other’s uncrewed systems remotely using shared control technologies.
A key achievement at this year’s exercise was Australia’s ability to transfer mission control of a UK-based extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle back to the United Kingdom remotely from Jervis Bay, showcasing significant advances in operational reach and command integration.
“The multilateral scale and complexity of Talisman Sabre provided the ideal environment to test cutting-edge technologies and strengthen AUKUS partners’ operational integration,” Moore said.
He added, “Communicating underwater is no easy feat – but Maritime Big Play is helping make this happen faster.”
The increased integration of autonomous systems and enhanced interoperability between allied forces provides commanders with greater flexibility in securing vital subsea infrastructure and safeguarding critical sea lines of communication.
As tensions and technological competition continue to rise in the Indo-Pacific, exercises like Maritime Big Play are proving central to maintaining a credible and collaborative deterrence posture.
