Australian Navy tests autonomous systems during exercise AW22.

According to information published by the Australian DoD on May 24, 2022, about 40 new, innovative autonomous technologies are being tested and evaluated in the waters of Jervis Bay on Exercise Autonomous Warrior (AW22).
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The Maritime Robotics Otter Pro unmanned surface vehicle from Seismic Asia Pacific Pty Ltd operates in the waters of Jervis Bay. (Picture source: Nicole Mankowski)

The two-week exercise is testing the uncrewed, robotic and autonomous systems – they operate on or below the water, or in the sky – according to scenarios designed to demonstrate capabilities in mine countermeasures, survey, surveillance, reconnaissance, undersea warfare, intelligence-gathering, force protection, interoperability, and interchangeability.

The exercise is taking place in the waters of Jervis Bay, at sea in the nearby East Australian Exercise Area, and in the skies above.

The exercise also is testing the command and control technologies used to receive, process, and present data inputs from multiple systems to inform command decisions and direct the actions of autonomous systems.

The opening of AW22 also included the launch of the Navy’s robotic autonomous systems and artificial intelligence (RAS-Ai) campaign plan by Head Navy Capability, Rear Admiral Peter Quinn.

The plan sets out how the Navy will work with the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), partners, allies, and industry to develop capability in RAS-Ai.

The AUKUS partnership had opened new opportunities for closer cooperation in robotic and autonomous systems, and there was a contrast in the potential speed of acquisition of robotic and autonomous systems compared to conventional major platforms.

About AUKUS

AUKUS also styled as Aukus, is a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, announced on 15 September 2021 for the Indo-Pacific region. Under the pact, the US and the UK will help Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.