All eyes on Royal Navy’s Type 93 market engagement as industry prepares bids

The Royal Navy opened preliminary market engagement for Type 93, an extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle program also associated with the AUKUS Signature Payload initiative. Officials are inviting companies to provide information about candidate platforms, mission equipment and industrial capabilities to help refine the prospective procurement. The Type 93 concept is intended for extended underwater missions where payload capacity and autonomous operation matter more than a traditional crewed-submarine design. Industry engagement is an early requirements and sourcing activity, not a contract award, selection of a preferred supplier or confirmed fleet-delivery schedule.