VIDEO: U.S. Attack Boat Torpedoes Iranian Frigate off Sri Lanka - USNI News An American attack submarine sank an Iranian Navy ship off the coast of Sri Lanka, extending the ongoing conflict with Iran to the Indo-Pacific. It’s the first time since World War II that a U.S. subm...

VIDEO: U.S. Attack Boat Torpedoes Iranian Frigate off Sri Lanka — USNI News
news.usni.org/2026/03/04/v...

⿻podBase™ Undersea warfare is undergoing a profound transformation. Autonomous systems are poised to redefine the nature of armed conflict beneath the waves, and their deployment in the opaque subsea domain ...

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While the extent to which IRIN and IRGCN forces may have been targeted is unclear, there are several undersea options that Tehran could leverage to threaten maritime shipping and U.S. forces operating in the Persian Gulf.

With a clear existential threat to the Khamenei regime, the likelihood of a prolonged and impactful disruption of the Strait of Hormuz has significantly increased.

Iranian Undersea Options to Disrupt the Strait of Hormuz While the threat of a Strait of Hormuz closure has diminished following a tenuous ceasefire with Israel, Tehran is likely to continue leveraging the strait as a means of disruption and strategic signa...

In light of this morning's news, I'm taking this podBASE™ report out from behind the paywall.

www.strikepod.com/iranian-unde...

New guide to Chinese Navy (PLAN) mine sweepers. China has the largest mine warfare fleet of any navy.

Often overlooked, if you don't know much about mine countermeasures this might be of interest.

Here -> www.hisutton.com/China-PLAN-m...

Underwater drone AUV

New article, Russian Argus-D large underwater drone design. Seems suitable for minelaying - www.hisutton.com/Russia-XLUUV...

Russia’s Submarine Problem Is Much Worse Than Many Imagine - Naval News The Russian submarine Novorossiysk, an Improved Kilo-class vessel, has been forced to limp home to the Baltic after a mechanical failure in the Mediterranean. While some reports exaggerated its plight...

Russia’s Submarine Problem Is Much Worse Than Many Imagine

It’s not just the tale of one unfortunate submarine, it’s a growing hole in capacity and capability www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

👀 Toloka - 12 meters long.

China’s New Giant Underwater Drone Increases Naval Mine Threat Around Taiwan - Naval News China unveiled its AJX002 underwater minelaying drone, signalling a significant expansion and modernization of its capabilities. The dedicated platform enhances blockade potential, particularly around...

***New Analysis***

China’s New Giant Underwater Drone Increases Naval Mine Threat Around Taiwan

The AJX002's covert, almost deniable nature, increases the likelihood that China will use naval mines.

www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

⿻ The U.S. Navy Is Seeking a UL-AUV ...

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"The U.S. Navy Is Seeking a UL-AUV"
www.strikepod.com/the-u-s-navy...

One of the likely drivers is the need for survivable VLS platforms. An uncrewed underwater missile barge/arsenal ship that can leverage existing architecture (the Virginia Payload Module) might hold an answer.

In a time when the Navy's extra-large (Orca) and large (Snakehead) AUV programs continue to suffer from cost overruns, technical issues, and programmatic uncertainty, and the U.S. shipbuilding and submarine workforce struggles to produce Virginia and Columbia hulls, what could be driving this?

The Office of Naval Research recently issued a BAA seeking the rapid design, build, and testing of an ultra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (UL-AUV) demonstrator, "Ocean Explorer."

www.onr.navy.mil/work-with-us...

⿻ PodIQ™ - An Undersea Force Model ...

Want to learn more? Get yourself a three month free trial of podBASE™, our premium subscription research service, and check out the report:

"PodIQ™ - An Undersea Force Model"

✅ Incorporate supplemental sensor platforms, such as seabed arrays, crewed vessels and aircraft, USVs, and encapsulated torpedoes, by specifying their quantity, passive acoustic sensor coverage area, availability rate, and unit cost.

The model enables you to:

✅ Explore tradeoffs across endurance, patrol architecture, recharge cycles, and integration with supplemental systems.
✅ Gain insight into the number of vehicles required to maximize persistent ASW coverage of a given area of waterspace.

and ...

We developed a simple conceptual model, PodIQ™, to analyze how key XL-AUV performance characteristics could drive the acquisition of a persistent, credible uncrewed undersea presence.

As extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XL-AUV) programs proliferate, careful consideration must be given to platform performance characteristics, as these will ultimately determine how many are required to maintain a credible, persistent undersea presence. 🧵

Candid Image Gives First Evidence Of China's Secretive Armed Underwater Drone - Naval News China continues to innovate in the underwater arena. A fresh image reveals one of its latest creations, an extra-large underwater drone

***BREAKING***

You heard it on BlueSky first….

Candid Image Gives First Evidence Of China’s Secretive Armed Underwater Drone

www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

Cellula Robotics Ltd.
Anduril Industries
Kongsberg Maritime
MSubs Ltd

What this may or may not mean for the Orca program is unclear. But there are several companies that could provide a "commercially available, demonstration-ready uncrewed system ... offering a scalable and cost-effective solution for long-range, high-capacity payload deployment."

BREAKING: The U.S. Navy is looking for a COTS XL-AUV capable of, among other things:

☑️ Exceptional range, capable of transits greater than 1000nm
☑️ Modular payload capacity with ability to drop various payloads to the seafloor.

The mine/torpedo/AUV convergence continues with Anduril's family of 30 knot (sprint speed), warhead-capable, stealthy toroidal propeller-driven AUVs.

Anduril unveils Copperhead-M: A torpedo designed specifically for drones - Naval News Anduril is announcing the launch of Copperhead, a high-speed, software-defined family of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) built for delivery by autonomous systems.

Anduril is announcing the launch of Copperhead, a high-speed, software-defined family of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) built for delivery by autonomous systems 🇺🇸
#SAS2025
www.navalnews.com/event-news/s...

Subsea NHI: A Field Brief The following field brief provides an overview of subsea non-human intelligence (NHI), related subsea and transmedium craft - variously termed unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) or unidentified su...

As human operations in the subsea domain expand in both scope and complexity, increased contact with subsea NHI is inevitable. We have developed a field brief that provides a conceptual framework for assessing and responding to subsea NHI activity.

www.strikepod.com/subsea-nhi-f...

Marine Technology March 2025 Magazine Marine Technology March 2025

My latest for Marine Technology Reporter, wherein I discuss containerized mine warfare systems and how minelaying operations could leverage these systems for deception in future conflicts (particularly in the Taiwan Strait).

"Unclear and Present Danger: The Future of Mine Warfare is Deception"

USS Jimmy Carter (SSN 23) Seawolf-class attack submarine leaving Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor - March 11, 2025 #ussjimmycarter #ssn23

SRC: YT- SkunkBayWeather

Ukrainian USV Sea Baby

***UPDATE***

#Ukraine Sea Baby maritime drone (USV) shown for first time with two Italian Manta bottom mines.

The mines were used to attack several ships in September 2023, including the Pr.1239 BORA Class missile corvette Samum

www.hisutton.com/Timeline-202...

#NavalNews #Submarines
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Ghadir-class midget submarine during exercise "ZULFIQAR 1403", February 22, 2025.
Source: www.tasnimnews.com/fa/news/1403...

FYI @covertshores.bsky.social @alxluck.bsky.social @mikeplunkett.bsky.social