The United States and United Kingdom have launched a joint technology competition to develop advanced defense systems capable of countering the growing threat of hostile underwater attack drones.

Key points

• The US Defense Innovation Unit and UK Ministry of Defence launched the REEF program to identify solutions for detecting and neutralizing uncrewed underwater vehicles.
• The initiative seeks technologies across four categories: sensor detection, counteraction systems, secure communications, and command and control integration.
• Interested companies must submit their proposals for the REEF competition by the April 3 deadline.
• The program addresses rising maritime security concerns following recent underwater drone attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf and incidents involving Houthi rebels.
• Proposed counteraction technologies may include kinetic weapons, acoustic directed energy, or decoy systems designed to confuse hostile underwater craft.

The rapid proliferation of low-cost, autonomous underwater drones poses a significant risk to global shipping lanes and critical maritime infrastructure. This bilateral effort aims to accelerate the development of defensive capabilities to protect naval assets and commercial vessels from increasingly sophisticated subsea threats.