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Dive-LD

Dive-LD
Length	5.8 m (19 ft)
Diameter	1.2 m (4 ft)
Dry Weight	2,720 kg (6,000 lbs)
Speed Range	1.0 - 3.6 m/s (2 - 7 knots)
Survey Range	580 line km (313 nmi)

On 07 February 2024 the U.S. Navy’s Program Office Advanced Undersea Systems (PMS 394), with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), selected three vendors to prototype and develop Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) platforms. Following a rigorous evaluation process, DIU awarded three prototype agreements to Oceaneering International, Kongsberg Discovery, and Anduril Industries. These agreements highlight the importance of improving underwater capabilities, leveraging unmanned systems, and tackling present and future maritime dangers in a cost-effective and scalable manner. The successful prototypes will enable future capabilities in SSW and USW missions. This project will also drive advancements in underwater engineering, autonomous systems, communications, and shape employment of Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) for future Naval operations. Anduril Industries signed an agreement with Australia to develop a vehicle similar to the Orca XLUUV, showcasing international collaboration in unmanned underwater vehicles market.

"NAVSEA, in partnership with the DIU, has selected the best in industry from industry to rapidly advance new undersea capabilities in the Subsea and Seabed Warfare domain,” said Capt. Grady Hill, program manager for PMS 394. “We are accelerating our development plans by utilizing rapid contracting authorities to speed capability to the Fleet." This is a joint effort, also supported by Program Manager Expeditionary Missions (PMS 408), Program Office for Unmanned Maritime Systems (PMS 406), The United States Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), Navy Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD), Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU APL), Penn State Applied Research Laboratories (PSU ARL), and Undersea Unmanned Vehicle Squadron ONE (UUVRON ONE). Collectively, with DIU and PMS 394, these organizations will provide rigorous assessments in order to optimize alignment with an evolving global defense landscape, beginning with live demonstrations in 2024.

DIU’s prototype contracts, coupled with collaboration among key Navy partners, represent a monumental stride in accelerating development of the nation’s maritime defense capabilities. This strategic initiative positions the U.S. to sustain a decisive edge in securing and advancing its maritime interests – representing a proactive approach to upholding technological superiority, and commitment to shaping the future of naval defense.

The US Navy selected Anduril and its Dive family of large autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to prototype distributed, long-range, persistent underwater sensing and payload delivery in contested environments. Anduril provides a family of AI-enabled AUVs that are designed to perform a wide range of defense and commercial missions. “Our selection takes place at a critical moment for the Department of Defense,” said Anduril CEO and Co-Founder Brian Schimpf. “In an era of strategic competition, our AUVs like Dive-LD provide urgently-needed capability to deter maritime threats around the world. We are excited to work with our U.S. Government partners as we look to build advanced, affordable, autonomous capabilities at scale in support of U.S. Navy priorities.”

The Dive-LD is tailor made for littoral and deep-water survey, inspection & ISR. It allows for rapid configurations to meet mission-specific needs, applicable to a wide range of defense and commercial mission sets. The Dive-LD has a flexible & unique architecture capable of rapid integration of complex payloads or multi-sensor suites. It is ideal for a variety of missions such as undersea battlespace intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, mine counter-warfare, anti-submarine warfare, seafloor mapping and more. Prioritizing payload flexibility, low-logistics, pier launched capability, and long endurance the Dive-LD is tailor made for littoral and deep-water survey and inspections.

The Dive-LD is capable of conducting missions along the seafloor at up to 6000 meters ocean depth. The 3-ton Dive-LD is able to autonomously conduct missions for up to 10 days with an architecture that scales for multi-week missions. Extensive open interfaces, generous payload bays, and the use of additive manufacturing enable rapid integration of a variety of sensors and effectors for customized defense and commercial mission sets. Unique 3D printed exterior and novel manufacturing processes for core internal structure components and buoyancy inside the vehicle enable rapidly customizable AUVs at a fraction of the cost.

Amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the maritime environment, the Department of Defense (DoD) signaled its intent to invest in large quantities of attritable autonomous systems to strengthen deterrence, project power, and achieve affordable mass. To that end, Dive-LD leverages commercial best practices to deliver unparalleled dominance in the undersea environment at rapid speed, massive scale, and low cost for a vehicle of this class.

Mass is a critical element of undersea deterrence. But insufficient fielding of unmanned undersea vehicles with long endurance and large payload capabilities at scale has created a significant gap. In July 2023, DIU sought proposals for commercial solutions to fill that gap. As part of the selection process, Dive-LD carried out government-defined missions for DIU and U.S. government program sponsors during a “swim-off” competition that rigorously evaluated vehicle capabilities at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, Rhode Island.

During this event, Anduril engineers successfully tracked and shared the location of the Dive-LD asset with operators around the world in real-time by leveraging Lattice, Anduril’s AI-powered software platform for command-and-control (C2) of autonomous vehicles, highlighting how multiple operators, units, and watch floors can leverage Lattice for remote mission monitoring and execution. After the successful demonstration, Dive-LD was down-selected for a contract under DIU’s Commercial Solutions Opening process.

“Dive-LD is foundational to Anduril’s maritime capabilities for commercial and defense applications. By combining proven subsea vehicle development expertise with advanced manufacturing processes, the platform is quick to produce, economical to manufacture and service, simple to customize, and robust in operation,” said Anduril Chief Strategy Officer Chris Brose. “Dive-LD is the most reliable and flexible AUV on the market today, capable of rapidly integrating complex payloads or multi-sensor suites to provide advanced capability for a wide range of missions.”

Anduril is committed to providing the U.S. and its allies with asymmetric undersea advantage to deter conflict, and if necessary, fight and win. Driven by Anduril’s significant investments in long-range, autonomous undersea capabilities, Dive-LD has emerged as the leading solution for a variety of missions, including operational preparation of the environment, surveillance and reconnaissance, mine warfare, subsea and seabed warfare, seafloor mapping, and more.