Submarines
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the capability of the Royal Navy’s Project CETUS crewless submarine demonstrator following its launch in February 2025.
Answered by Luke Pollard
The Ministry of Defence is continuing to assess XV EXCALIBUR to determine its operational capabilities. Since its launch in February 2025, the vessel has already completed Sea Acceptance Trials and recently participated in multinational collaboration as part of Exercise TALISMAN SABRE. As a capability demonstrator, XV EXCALIBUR is not intended to enter operational service, but will continue to be subject to progressive experimentation and capability demonstration activities.
XV EXCALIBUR will inform the Royal Navy’s future Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XLAUV) fleet by helping to understand and develop how XLAUVs can be operated, maintained and commanded.
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