Australia, US and Japan Test Joint Underwater Drone Network

Australia, Japan and the United States have successfully tested a shared underwater communications network linking autonomous maritime systems from all three countries during a military exercise in Japan.

The trial, conducted as part of Exercise Keen Sword 27, marked the first trilateral experiment of its kind in Japan, according to the Australian Department of Defence.

During the demonstration, a Japanese REMUS 620 unmanned underwater vehicle transmitted positional data to Australia's Rock Lobster underwater communications node.

The information was then relayed through a US communications gateway to an American ground station.

A command signal was subsequently sent back through the same network to the underwater vehicle, completing a two-way communications link between the three countries' systems.

Australia's Defence Science and Technology Group contributed to the design and execution of the experiment, working alongside Japanese and American military personnel, engineers and researchers.

Japanese military officials described the trial as a milestone in trilateral interoperability, while US Pacific Command said the experiment demonstrated how emerging technologies could be integrated into future military operations.

The demonstration forms part of growing defense cooperation between Canberra, Tokyo and Washington, with the three countries seeking to improve coordination between autonomous maritime platforms in the Indo-Pacific.

The Australian Defence Department announced the results on November 3.