Unmanned Systems · Full chronicle and history

During the meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he has invited Palmer Luckey, founder of the US defense technology firm Anduril, to visit Israel. Netanyahu noted that the company is a leading US weapons manufacturer, and the two sides discussed military technology issues such as the possibility of underground infiltration and the use of unmanned systems in subterranean environments.

According to Twitter user @__Inty__, the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division tested the Magura MV7 unmanned surface vehicle manufactured by the Ukrainian company UFORCE during the "Bayonet Quest 26" exercise held in Michigan. The U.S. military modified it into a floating maritime launch platform and successfully launched an aerial drone from the bow of the vessel. The test was primarily aimed at meeting coastal operational requirements in the Indo-Pacific region.

According to clashreport, on October 18, 2026 Beijing time, photos show that a second Chinese vessel, believed to be intended as a mother ship for ultra-large underwater drones, is under construction at a shipyard in southern China. Unlike the first ship, which was launched at the Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, this hull is being built at a different shipyard, further demonstrating China's expanding capacity for supporting underwater unmanned equipment.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps captured an American Dive LD unmanned underwater vehicle belonging to Anduril Industries at the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz and released footage of the event. US Central Command stated that the UAV had malfunctioned more than a day before it was found, is an older model, and did not carry classified sonar or radar equipment. Experts analyze that Iran may understand US technological pathways through reverse engineering.

On September 8, 2026, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the capture of a US unmanned undersea vehicle at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz and released footage, which was identified as Anduril's DIVE-LD. US Central Command responded that the vehicle had been malfunctioning for more than a day, was an older model, had collected no sensitive data, and carried no classified sonar or radar equipment.

According to the Financial Times, over the past several months U.S. military divers, unmanned vessels and specialized submersibles carried out mine-clearing operations in the Strait of Hormuz at night. The International Maritime Organization said Iran laid about 80 mines; Trump announced that all of them have been cleared or detonated, and the U.S. military confirmed this. Iran rejected the U.S. claims, and U.S. Central Command denied rumors that a tanker struck a mine.

According to Boeing, the MQ-25T-1 test aircraft has successfully conducted aerial refueling for three carrier-based aircraft: the F/A-18 Super Hornet, the E-2D Hawkeye, and the F-35C Lightning II.

Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) received the DIVE-LD unmanned underwater vehicle system from Anduril Industries in August 2026. It was initially deployed for submarine cable inspection capabilities to prevent sabotage, and subsequently underwent adaptive and customized modifications to meet Taiwan's specific needs.

According to reports in the Taiwanese media, Taiwan's National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology received Anduril's Dive LD unmanned underwater vehicle system in August this year. It will first be applied to submarine cable inspections to guard against deliberate sabotage, and the institute is cooperating with Anduril on customized modifications, integrating multi-beam scanning capability to detect mines and submarines.

U.S. company Shield AI and Taiwan's AEHC Technology demonstrated unmanned vessels equipped with AI autonomous software carrying out coordinated formation operations at Dapeng Bay in Pingtung, Taiwan, on July 29.

U.S. Central Command said that 3 unmanned surface vessels attacked Bandar Abbas on the coast of the Strait of Hormuz and an Iranian Navy vessel maintenance base.

During the Rim of the Pacific exercise, a Typhoon unmanned surface vessel sailed at night in Sea State 5 conditions, 85 miles from the coast, to deliver parts to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.