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Historic first as Royal Navy launches torpedo from uncrewed submarine, XV Excalibur
The Royal Navy's 12-meter XV Excalibur extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle fired and controlled an inert, recoverable U.S. Mk 48 Mod 4 heavyweight torpedo at the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre in Scotland. Conducted under AUKUS Project Broadsword and Trial Iron, the three-week event marked the service's first torpedo launch from an uncrewed submarine. British and American teams integrated the weapon in about six months, demonstrating a pathway for autonomous undersea platforms to carry combat payloads while generating data for additional trials and future operational concepts.