EX Autonomous Warrior becomes AUKUS Maritime Big Play

AUKUS partners have cooperated in the first large-scale demonstration of advanced autonomous capabilities during Exercise Autonomous Warrior 2024 in Jervis Bay, NSW.

Exercise Autonomous Warrior is the first Australian-based exercise under the AUKUS Pillar II Maritime Big Play initiative – a series of classified, integrated trilateral experiments and exercises aimed at enhancing advanced capability development, improving interoperability, and increasing the sophistication and scale of autonomous systems in the maritime domain.

“Exercise Autonomous Warrior is an exciting and tangible demonstration of progress being made under AUKUS Pillar II,” said Minister for Defence Richard Marles.

“Pillar II is a generational opportunity for our three nations to harness and uplift our collective innovation enterprises and industrial bases, strengthen cooperation, and together deliver advanced capabilities across our defence forces.”

Uniformed personnel and industry participants from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States operated 30 separate asymmetric capabilities from across the three countries. The three AUKUS partners also welcomed Japan as an observer of the Maritime Big Play series.

The systems demonstrated during Exercise Autonomous Warrior will deliver strike capability and persistent Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).

Advanced Australian-developed capabilities trialled included the long-range loitering strike glider OWL-B manufactured by Innovaero; the Ocius Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessel ; the Anduril Australia Ghost Shark Extra-Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XL_AUV); and the C2 Robotics Speartooth Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LUUV) .

“The Maritime Big Play stands to advance the development of cutting-edge maritime capabilities that provide strategic advantage and strengthen collaboration between AUKUS partners,” according to Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery.

“This is another example of the ingenuity of Australia’s companies and innovators to partner with Defence to and reflects the Albanese Government’s commitment to investing in a defence future made in Australia.”