UK fires torpedo from undersea drone for first time in new warning to Putin

Britain has fired a heavyweight torpedo from a uncrewed, underwater drone for the first time as part of efforts to counter the growing threat from Russia. The torpedo was fired last week in UK waters from the Navy’s 12-metre undersea drone known as Excalibur. The weapon, jointly developed by the US and Australia, is designed to sink ships and deep-diving submarines. Shorts The test was carried out by Britain and the US under the landmark AUKUS defence partnership with Australia, which is developing next-generation submarine, artificial intelligence and autonomous undersea capabilities. It is the first time either country has fired a torpedo from an uncrewed, underwater vessel rather than a crewed submarine. The Excalibur drone, which is currently carrying out sea trials, was built in Plymouth and can be remote operated from nearly 10,000 miles away. The test forms part of a wider drive to protect Britain’s vital seabed cables and pipelines from hostile powers. Russia has been waging a form of “hybrid warfare” at sea by using spy vessels and covert underwater capabilities to gather intelligence about the UK’s critical underwater cables and pipelines, raising fears of sabotage. The Government has hailed the successful test as a “significant breakthrough” for Euro-Atlantic security and Nato’s undersea capabilities. The Prime Minister will be in New York on Tuesday for the UN General Assembly (UNGA), where he will hold his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump. The conflict in Ukraine, security in the Middle East and artificial intelligence are expected to dominate talks among world leaders over the coming days. European intelligence officials have warned that Russia could step up its operations against Nato countries in the coming months. One Czech intelligence chief told The Guardian earlier this week that a possible escalation could come in “months, not years”. Baltic intelligence chiefs cautioned that there was no evidence of an imminent attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also expected to meet Trump on the sidelines of UNGA. The US President has been pressing Zelensky to halt Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries over fears of fuel shortages and rising prices. The Navy’s supersized undersea drone The Royal Navy’s XV Excalibur (Photo: Ministry of Defence) Official name: XV Excalibur Significance: Navy’s largest uncrewed, underwater vessel Unveiled: May 2025 Status: Carrying out extensive sea trials Size: 12 metres long, 2.2 metres in diameter and displacing about 19 tonnes Capability: Can be controlled from a remote operating centre nearly 10,000 miles away Purpose: To help the Navy understand how large, autonomous submarines could operate alongside crewed submarines and surface ships in future conflicts. Speaking ahead of the summit, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said the UK must take a leadership role against “a darkening global picture” of conflict, climate change and hostile states using disinformation to sow division. Burnham will use his first visit to the US as Prime Minister to push for greater international co-operation on AI and discuss global issues affecting people at home, including Ukraine and Britain’s G20 presidency. He will argue that AI technology should be harnessed to improve lives while strengthening security. Britain and the US will also launch a new AI and Autonomy Partnership, bringing together defence officials from both countries to develop trusted artificial intelligence systems that can protect critical infrastructure, from sea lanes to airspace, while detecting threats and deterring adversaries. The work will build on technology already being developed through AUKUS, including next-generation attack submarines and autonomous undersea capabilities. The XV Excalibur is currently carrying out sea trials (Photo: Ministry of Defence) Burnham said Britain was “at our strongest when we work with our partners” to tackle shared challenges, and said the country would show the same leadership on AI that it did during the global financial crisis. He said he would also make the case at the UN for “a just and lasting peace” in Ukraine and renewed efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East, arguing that “what happens abroad impacts each and every one of us at home”. Burnham will also confirm that Manchester will host the G20 leaders’ summit, which brings together the world’s major economies, next November.