Iran Says It Captured U.S.-Made Anduril Dive-LD Underwater Drone in Hormuz Strait

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that it recovered an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in the Strait of Hormuz that closely resembles the Anduril Dive-LD model used by the U.S. Navy. Photographs released by the IRGC show a partially submerged drone with design features such as flood holes, fastenings and a small transparent mast that match the American system.

The Dive-LD is a large-displacement AUV about 5.8 meters long, 2 meters in diameter and weighing roughly three tons. It is designed for multi-day missions and can be equipped for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance or mine-countermeasure tasks, and could potentially carry weapons. Anduril describes the platform as having “extensive open interfaces, generous payload bays” and notes that additive manufacturing allows rapid integration of various sensors and effectors.

The vehicle is known to be in service with U.S. Navy units, including Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Group 1 and Undersea Vehicle Squadron 3. While the specific payload on the captured unit could not be identified from the available images, the IRGC claims the find could boost Iran's own underwater drone capabilities or be shared with allied nations.

"The Dive-LD has extensive open interfaces, generous payload bays, and the use of additive manufacturing enables rapid integration of a variety of sensors and effectors for customized defense and commercial mission sets," Anduril said in a product description.

Analysts note that the Dive-LD is more advanced than Iran's indigenous designs, which have previously been supplied to proxy forces in the region. The capture, if verified, may represent a significant development in Iran's unmanned undersea technology.