AUKUS Navy Successfully Tests Ship Control From 10,000 Mil Distance

British Navy experimental ship XV Patrick Brackett (X01) while participating in the REPMUS24 exercise in Portugal. (Twitter/@XVPTBK)

JAKARTA - The British Navy, Australia, and the United States were able to control unmanned ships in Australia when they were more than 10,000 miles away in Portugal as part of a series of military experiments, the British Royal Navy said on Friday.

The AUKUS security pact between the three countries, aimed at countering China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region, helps bring new military technology to the forefront at speeds "unprecedented", the British Navy said.

"The success experienced includes proving the ability of the three AUKUS navys to order and control ships on the other side of the world in tactically realistic scenarios," said British Navy Development Director James Parkin in a statement.

"This shows how close we are to realizing our ambition to realize the original team of manned and unmanned systems, capable of operating and applicable anywhere on the planet, from seabed to space," he continued.

The experiment, dubbed "Maritime Big Play", also tested other unmanned equipment in a mock operational scenario.

This includes dropping payloads from drones, with the final goal of bringing unmanned technology to the front lines quickly.

AUKUS countries are planning further experiments later this year, involving about 30 systems in large-scale demonstrations in the Indo-Pacific, the British Navy said.

It is known that AUKUS countries have deepened their collaboration this year, including reforms announced in August to eliminate significant barriers to defense trade.

Meanwhile, China called the AUKUS pact dangerous and warned the pact could trigger a regional arms race.

The Royal Navy took part in Exercise Repmus for the biggest autonomous war games of the year.

Experimentation ship @XVPTBK, divers from @RN_DTXG, and other specialist units joined over 15 partner nations to test nearly 100 uncrewed systems. pic.twitter.com/kBHSo22WZC

— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) September 28, 2023

The Royal Navy took part in Exercise Repmus for the largest autonomous war games of the year.

Experienced board @XVPTBK, divers from @RN_DTXG, and other specialist units joined over 15 partners nations to tests near 100 unresolved systems. pic.twitter.com/kBHSo22WZC