Herne aims to be affordable, autonomous naval combat mass [Video]

The demands on modern navies are growing. Technological advancements, constrained budgets, and the increasing complexity of operational requirements mean forces must find innovative ways to do more with less.

The Herne platform, an Extra-Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XLAUV) developed by BAE Systems in collaboration with Canadian firm Cellula Robotics, aims to address this need.

The craft itself is a 12-metre-long, 8–10-tonne platform constructed around a lightweight aluminium frame, designed for flexibility and endurance. It features two modular payload bays, each offering a 2,500-litre capacity, which can be reconfigured into a single 5,000-litre bay to accommodate larger equipment such as torpedoes, towed arrays, or other payloads. The payload areas are free-flooding, requiring components to be housed in smaller sealed pressure cans,  rather than one large pressure hull, a design choice that enables rapid reconfiguration for diverse mission profiles.

Its propulsion system includes two electric motors driving independent propellers, achieving a sprint …