Historical developments in USV, UUV and UGV systems. Original milestones, source-linked evidence and reviewed UXV Searcher analysis.
On April 4, 2026, Nhân Dân reported that Vietnam's Military Ship Design Institute was continuing research on an indigenous unmanned underwater vehicle for the country's armed forces.
Original event: 4 Apr 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
In April 2026, researchers from the Military Technical Academy and Military Ship Design Institute published results for a pressure-testing tank designed for underwater equipment used with the Pluto Plus ROV. The system supports watertightness, strength, and buoyancy testing before real-environment testing of the underwater equipment.
Original event: April 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On August 14, 2026, Vietnam's General Department of Defence Industry reported that the Military Ship Design Institute was implementing development work on a kamikaze UUV. The disclosure establishes an indigenous defense-UUV research program intended for a strike-related mission but does not reveal whether the vehicle operates as an AUV, ROV, or hybrid system.
Original event: 14 Aug 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On January 15, 2026, a Brazilian Armed Forces capability package presented to the President included the Navy's IPqM multipurpose autonomous-submarine project. The concept is associated with autonomous underwater missions including mine-countermeasure and search-and-rescue support within the Navy's longer-term capability development.
Original event: 15 Jan 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
EUROSWEEP held its kick-off meeting on January 13–14, 2026 in Budapest, with Hungarian consortium member CyEx participating in the EDF-funded defense R&D program.
Original event: January 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On August 3, 2026, Sociedad Tequendama published RESHT-SERV-SA000000138--2026 for spare parts and technical components needed to ready the ROV Lynx ARC3100. The same reference, object, and COP 21.0999 million budget were republished on August 10 under a revised indexed process with a shorter stated duration.
Original event: August 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On January 16, 2026, Blue Atlas Robotics was selected into the first Defence Tech Denmark cohort. The company stated that it would use the program to mature and position its underwater robotics and man-portable ROV technology for defense through testing, validation, and industry-access support.
Original event: 16 Jan 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On February 12, 2026, Blue Atlas Robotics disclosed development of a new modular ROV and associated software specifically for military use. The company described passive surveillance and inspection missions as well as active tasks such as hostile-object handling, underwater explosive placement, critical-infrastructure inspection, and damage assessment.
Original event: 12 Feb 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On March 10, 2026, the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation opened market dialogue for the underwater sensor and payload package intended for a strategic-infrastructure surveillance vessel.
Original event: 9 Mar 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On March 10, 2026, the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation opened market dialogue for the underwater sensor and payload package intended for a strategic-infrastructure surveillance vessel.
Original event: 9 Mar 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
During DALO Industry Days on August 19-20, 2026, Danish company Søens Tech presented SHADOWFIN as a newly developed autonomous underwater vehicle for cost-asymmetric naval warfare. Company material identifies SHADOWFIN CORE for covert ISR and anti-submarine roles and describes an enhanced concept intended to engage submarines and other maritime targets.
Original event: August 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
During DALO Industry Days on August 19-20, 2026, Blue Atlas Robotics unveiled ULTRA for the first time. Company material describes ULTRA as a new modular underwater robotic platform and the firm's wider reporting places its systems in military and dual-use underwater missions.
Original event: August 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On August 25, 2026, Denmark's defence procurement authority published its intention to procure an AUV system and associated integration for the Norwind Helm subsea-surveillance capability through direct negotiations with Kongsberg Discovery.
Original event: August 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On August 4, 2026, Denmark's defence procurement authority contracted SH Group A/S for one moonpool bottom door, control panel, and hydraulic unit as part of converting Norwind Helm into a military critical-underwater-infrastructure surveillance platform.
Original event: August 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
During BSDA 2026 on May 13-15, Romanian company Autonomous Flight Technologies presented Squallus as a multi-vehicle maritime architecture combining an aerial vector, autonomous surface vehicle, and a tethered underwater system within a unified command-and-control environment.
Original event: May 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On August 14, 2026, Factory Z198 proposed research and manufacture of a multi-mission unmanned submarine during the General Department of Defence Industry's USV/UUV workshop. The proposal is explicitly part of Vietnam's defense-industrial UUV development effort, but the source does not identify the control architecture, mission set, size, or approved funding.
Original event: 14 Aug 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On August 14, 2026, the General Department of Defence Industry called for tighter coordination across organizations conducting USV and UUV science-and-technology tasks. The workshop emphasized information and resource sharing, division of research and production responsibilities, and coordinated implementation across Vietnam's defense-industrial ecosystem.
Original event: 14 Aug 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026
On April 14, 2026, public reporting highlighted BAE Systems' Herne XLAUV progressing through Lloyd's Register certification against the Unmanned Marine Systems Code and classification under the Submersibles and Diving Systems Rules. Lloyd's Register describes the military XLAUV as a first-of-kind certification pathway for large autonomous submersibles.
Original event: April 2026
Published: 10 Oct 2026