Iran captures US Dive-LD autonomous submarine near Strait of Hormuz
Iran reportedly captured a US-made Dive-LD autonomous submarine that had suffered a technical failure in the Strait of Hormuz. US officials acknowledged the loss but downplayed its significance, while Iran indicated plans to reverse-engineer the system to gain insight into its capabilities and design.
What happened
Iran captured a US-made Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) near the Strait of Hormuz. The Dive-LD is manufactured by US defence contractor Anduril and was deployed in the region by the US Navy.
US Navy officials stated the system was an older model that had experienced a technical failure and became disabled in the water before Iranian forces recovered it. The Dive-LD is designed to conduct long-duration and autonomous underwater missions, capable of operating for up to 10 days with minimal human intervention.
Reported impact
Iran indicated it would conduct reverse engineering of the captured Dive-LD system. The system's modular design enables it to perform various missions including intelligence collection, mine countermeasures, and seafloor mapping.
US officials acknowledged the loss could provide Iran access to valuable technology regarding the system's capabilities, limitations and design. Iran has a history of collecting and reverse-engineering foreign military equipment and could share the system with partners for further analysis.
Index analysis
The Dive-LD is approximately 5.8 metres in length, 1.2 metres in diameter, with a weight near three tonnes. The system features a three-dimensionally printed hull and can operate at depths of approximately 6,000 metres.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.