U.S. Fears Iran Could Reverse-Engineer Captured Underwater Drone
The United States is facing concerns that Iran could study and potentially reverse-engineer a U.S. autonomous underwater drone captured near the Strait of Hormuz.
The captured Dive-LD, developed by Anduril, is an unmanned underwater vehicle designed for missions including seabed mapping, mine countermeasures and maritime intelligence. Analysts warn that Iran could examine its mechanical systems and use the technology to improve its own unmanned underwater capabilities.
The Pentagon has downplayed the intelligence risk, saying the drone was an older model that malfunctioned and did not carry classified sonar, radar or sensitive data. However, the loss still presents a potential technological opportunity for Iran.
The incident is particularly concerning for Washington because Iran previously captured a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone in 2011 and later claimed to have reverse-engineered the aircraft.