BAE Systems, Canada’s Cellula Robotics to Develop 5,000km-Range Extra-Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

BAE Systems has partnered with Canada’s Cellula Robotics to develop an extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV), named Herne.

This collaboration aims to enhance naval capabilities with an uncrewed platform that can perform a range of missions, from anti-submarine warfare to the protection of vital underwater infrastructure.

Herne will be similar in size to the Royal Navy’s upcoming uncrewed submarine, CETUS, which is slated for sea trials by 2027. Like CETUS, Herne will be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and is expected to stay submerged for up to 45 days, covering distances of up to 5,000 km.

CETUS – The Sea Monster

In two years, the Royal Navy's Cetus, named after a mythological sea monster, will patrol the oceans, monitoring hostile activity and safeguarding key national infrastructure like deep-sea cables and pipelines. Unlike the small, off-the-shelf autonomous systems previously used for minehunting, Cetus represents a major advancement. At 12 meters long and 2.2 meters wide, it will be the largest crewless submersible in European navies, built by Plymouth-based tech firm MSubs. The £15.4m Cetus is part of the Royal Navy's Anti-Submarine Warfare Spearhead programme and will create ten specialist jobs, supporting 70 more.

Cetus is a battery-powered, unarmed submarine capable of diving deeper than any current vessel in the fleet, covering up to 1,000 miles per mission. Designed as an operational demonstrator, it will work alongside or independently of crewed submarines, such as the Astute-class hunter-killers, to address evolving underwater threats.