The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) in Great Britain has announced the delivery of the autonomous submarine XV Excalibur to Royal Navy on 11 December 2025.
According to a press release from the British Ministry of Defence, published on Naval News-the website, is Excalibur a 12 meter long experimental vessel with a displacement of 19 tonnes.
This is the largest unmanned submarine ever tested by the Royal Navy and is the result of Project Cetus, developed in less than three years by SDA in collaboration with MSubs Ltd. and sponsored by the Royal Navy.
Project Cetus aims to build confidence in autonomy and serve as a testing ground for evaluating payloads and military missions. Now will Excalibur undergo extensive sea trials in the next two years.
The submarine, which was launched in February 2025, has already completed many acceptance tests, where several of the original design specifications have been exceeded. The purpose of the new tests is to help the Royal Navy understand the opportunities and challenges of operating an unmanned vessel of this size.
Photo: MSubs Ltd. This content is created with the help of AI and has been reviewed by the editorial team.
