Royal Navy goes fishing for suppliers to build its Type 93 robot submarine
Preliminary notice seeks XLUUV builders, payload makers and AI developers, with Excalibur and Herne the obvious candidates
The Royal Navy is seeking out defense industry suppliers to develop its Type 93 uncrewed submarine, as part of its Hybrid Navy vision. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) recently issued a market engagement notice to invite organizations to register their interest in the Type 93 submarine and the AUKUS Signature Payload Program. The primary aim of this notice is to collect a comprehensive list of interested suppliers for Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV) platforms and the broader ecosystem, which includes payload providers and firms offering technology, software, and support for autonomous operations, artificial intelligence, and mission management systems.
The Royal Navy is considering 12-meter-long and 2-meter-diameter submarines as potential candidates for the Type 93, though organizations with systems in different dimensions are also encouraged to register. The XV Excalibur and BAE Systems Herne are two existing uncrewed submarine prototypes that roughly match these dimensions.
The Hybrid Navy initiative aims to transition the Royal Navy to a mix of crewed, uncrewed, and autonomous platforms, including uncrewed surface vessels and other new submarine designs. This shift also involves scrapping the planned Type 83 Destroyer, with six Common Combat Vessels (CCVs) set to take their place as command-and-control hubs for all drone ships.
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