AUKUS (Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States) partners are developing capabilities in real-world environments to deliver benefits now and in the future.
Maritime Big Play
The Maritime Big Play exercise and experimentation series continues to push the boundaries of interoperability and autonomous capability development among AUKUS partners. Through the series, AUKUS partners are testing and refining their ability to jointly operate uncrewed systems, share and process data, and provide real-time awareness in support of decision-making.
In October 2024, as part of Autonomous Warrior 2024, AUKUS partners took control of each other’s systems remotely. Autonomous systems operating near Jervis Bay, Australia, were remotely controlled from the United States and autonomous systems operating off the US coast were remotely controlled from Jervis Bay.
Building on this success, July 2025 saw another leap forward during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025. AUKUS partners and Japan work together to enhance their use of acoustic communications to task a large uncrewed underwater vehicle to conduct activities at sea.
In late 2025, Maritime Big Play brought together more than 200 Defence personnel, scientists, and industry participants from AUKUS partners on Australia’s east coast. The exercise tested around 30 next-generation capabilities in a tactical setting, working with industry in real-time to adapt their capabilities in demanding conditions.
Lessons learnt from these activities will drive interoperability; allowing the 3 militaries to collectively employ each other's autonomous systems at great distances.
Undersea warfare
At Exercise Talisman Sabre in July 2025, AUKUS partners deployed several subsea autonomous uncrewed and remotely operated vehicles to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The aim of this activity was to improve the ability of AUKUS partners to protect critical underwater infrastructure.
Also at Exercise Talisman Sabre, AUKUS partners deployed advanced artificial intelligence algorithms on an Australian P-8A Maritime Patrol aircraft for the first time. These trilaterally developed algorithms collect and analyse undersea data from AUKUS nations’ sonobuoys, allowing the forces to locate and identify adversary submarines quicker than human operators could alone.
In July 2026, AUKUS partners participated in Exercise Rim of the Pacific in Hawaii, where they deployed and tested subsea capabilities alongside autonomous and remotely operated undersea vehicles. The activity demonstrated Pillar II subsea and seabed warfare capabilities as part of mission scenarios focused on protecting critical undersea infrastructure.
Artificial intelligence and autonomy
At Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, AUKUS partners put their latest cutting-edge Resilient Autonomy and Artificial Intelligence Technologies to the test on autonomous air, land and maritime platforms. These technologies were used to detect, disrupt and delay an amphibious landing in the Shoalwater Bay Training Area. Under the direction of a military headquarters, AUKUS partners’ personnel conducted simulated strike, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions within a littoral environment, demonstrating the potential of artificial intelligence and autonomy in future operations.
At the Army Warfighting Experiment, held at Salisbury Plain in the United Kingdom in March 2026, AUKUS partners trialled uncrewed aerial systems and data-sharing across national platforms. A central focus of the experiment was interoperability, with a shared command hub enabling near real-time exchange of mission data and sensor information between AUKUS partners. The experiment forms part of AUKUS partners’ efforts to accelerate the development, testing, and fielding of AI-enabled and autonomous systems.
Quantum clock trial
In June and July 2025, AUKUS partners came together at the Naval Research Lab in Washington D.C. to test and benchmark their leading quantum optical atomic clocks. Four Australian and 4 US clocks were compared as part of ongoing efforts to accelerate integration into defence platforms.
Quantum clocks deliver precision timing capabilities that have the potential to support advanced navigation. In the future, they may allow AUKUS partners to continue operating where Global Positioning System navigation is unreliable or unavailable. The outcomes of the clock trial will inform analysis of how quantum clocks may be used in future defence operations.
Hypersonics systems
AUKUS partners are developing and testing hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities through the Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation (HyFliTE) project. HyFliTE enables the 3 nations to accelerate the development, testing and evaluation of innovative hypersonic systems and critical enabling technologies through a collaborative test flight program. The project represents new heights of collaboration among AUKUS partners, including shared testing facilities and pooling deep collective technical expertise.
Through HyFliTE, AUKUS partners will conduct multiple test flights across Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States between 2026 and 2028. These flight tests will accelerate the development of hypersonic concepts and critical enabling technologies, supporting the delivery of hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities for AUKUS partners’ defence forces.
In July 2025, AUKUS partners achieved a significant milestone with the first test flight under the HyFliTE Project Arrangement. The flight successfully tested key equipment, validated important elements of the test program, and de-risked future hypersonic test flights.
The development and delivery of these technologies is, and will continue to be, consistent with AUKUS partners’ respective international legal obligations and commitments.