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Australia’s premier autonomous systems and advanced capabilities exercise, Autonomous Warrior 2024, has successfully demonstrated a host of capabilities across AUKUS and like-minded partners in Jervis Bay, NSW.
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Exercise Autonomous Warrior is the first Australian-based exercise under the AUKUS Pillar II Maritime Big Play initiative, designed as a series of integrated trilateral experiments and exercises aimed at enhancing advanced capability development, improving interoperability, and increasing the sophistication and scale of autonomous systems in the maritime domain.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles highlighted the ongoing success of the exercise, which over the past month has seen hundreds of uniformed personnel and industry participants from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States operating 30 asymmetric capabilities from across the three countries.
Minister Marles stressed the importance of exercises like Autonomous Warrior for the AUKUS partners and the role it plays in supporting developments under AUKUS Pillar II, saying, “Pillar II is a generational opportunity for our three nations to harness and uplift our collective innovation enterprises and industrial bases, strengthen cooperation, and together deliver advanced capabilities across our defence forces.”
The systems demonstrated during Exercise Autonomous Warrior will deliver strike capability and persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy expanded on the Deputy Prime Minister’s comment, saying, “The Maritime Big Play stands to advance the development of cutting-edge maritime capabilities that provide strategic advantage and strengthen collaboration between AUKUS partners.”
Advanced Australian-developed capabilities trialled included the long-range loitering strike glider OWL-B, the uncrewed surface vessel Bluebottle, the extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle Ghost Shark, and the large uncrewed underwater vehicle Speartooth.
“This is another example of the ingenuity of Australia’s companies and innovators to partner with Defence to and reflects the Albanese government’s commitment to investing in a defence future made in Australia,” Minister Conroy said.
The technologies demonstrated at Autonomous Warrior 2024 are at the forefront of local, leading-edge capabilities and demonstrate the government’s commitment to growing defence industry and innovation in Australia.
Through AUKUS Pillar II, the three countries are working together to develop advanced capabilities, enhance deterrence and promote security in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, in support of the global-rules based order.
