The United Kingdom’s Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) announced the delivery of the autonomous submarine XV Excalibur to the Royal Navy on December 11, 2025.
According to a press release from the UK Ministry of Defence published on the Naval News website, the Excalibur is a 12-meter experimental vessel with a displacement of 19 tons.
This is the largest unmanned submersible ever tested by the Royal Navy and is the result of Project Cetus, developed in less than three years by the SDA in partnership with MSubs Ltd., with sponsorship from the Royal Navy.
Project Cetus aims to build confidence in autonomy and serve as a testing ground for evaluating payloads and military missions. Now, the Excalibur will undergo extensive sea trials over the next two years.
Launched in February 2025, the submarine has already completed many acceptance tests, surpassing several original design specifications. The purpose of the new trials is to help the Royal Navy understand the opportunities and challenges of operating an unmanned vessel of this size.
Photo: MSubs Ltd. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
