Copperhead: Anduril shows autonomous underwater ceramic drone

The US defense contractor Anduril has launched an unmanned, modular, torpedo-like underwater vehicle called Copperhead. Variants of this can autonomously find and engage their target as autonomous underwater kamikaze drones.

The Copperhead underwater drones are divided into the Copperhead-100 and Copperhead-500. In addition, both variants are also available as M versions for "ammunition", which have torpedo-like characteristics. Both variants differ from each other in terms of size and weight. The Copperhead-100 is just under 2.7 m long and has a width of around 0.32 m. The payload is up to 45.35 kg. The Copperhead-500 is more than 4 m long, 0.53 m wide and carries loads of up to 226.7 kg. The actual loads can vary for both Copperhead variants and depend on their equipment.

For example, the Copperhead 100 underwater drone can be equipped with active and passive sensors, acoustic communication relay, magnetometer, side-scan sonar and chemical detection sensors. The 100M variant can carry a lightweight warhead.

The larger Copperhead-500 can be equipped with side scan sonar, magnetometer, active and passive sensors. The M variant can carry a heavy warhead.

Anduril does not reveal which propulsion systems the underwater drones use, but states a maximum speed of more than 30 knots (approx. 55.6 km/h) for both, which are realized via propellers.

Reusable drone for large autonomous underwater carrier systems

Anduril's main focus is on the price. The underwater drones should be inexpensive to manufacture. The basic body has a relatively angular design to simplify production and keep costs low. The aim is to produce hundreds to thousands of these systems per year and significantly undercut the costs of simpler torpedoes such as the Mk 48 and Mk 54. However, Anduril is not giving an exact price.

One advantage of the Copperhead-M is its reusability. Conventional torpedoes are lost if they miss their target, whereas the armed Copperhead variants can be recovered, refurbished and reused, Anduril promises.

However, this is unlikely to happen too often, as the autonomous underwater drones can be programmed to make target engagement decisions independently using artificial intelligence (AI). The drones can be adapted to threats from different enemy weapon systems via software updates.

The Copperhead underwater drones were developed for use with larger unmanned underwater carrier systems such as the Ghost Shark, which is already being used by the Royal Australian Navy, and Anduril's DiveXL. Copperhead is probably the first torpedo-like underwater drone system that has been specially developed for use on autonomous underwater systems. However, Copperheads can also be deployed from boats and airplanes.

(olb)