In Japan, the design of the new ultra-large unmanned underwater vehicle of the XLUUV project was presented for the first time. Tokyo is trying to keep up with its allies Washington and London, which have launched similar programs a little earlier. In addition, projects for the development of XLUUV type drones were initiated in Europe, France and Germany.

In Asia, South Korea and China are also working on large underwater drones. At the DSEI Japan 2023 fair, the Ministry of Defense Supply, Technology and Logistics Agency of Japan exhibited its own design of the XLUUV project vehicle for the first time.

The design of the Japanese XLUUV is modular, so the size of a particular sample depends on the dimensions of the load modulus, which can vary. The length of the main module is 10 meters and the estimated length of the device with the mission module will exceed 15 meters. Diameter is 1.8 meters. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) became the general contractor for the project.

The main features of the XLUUV device will be:

• deployment in a remote sea area when surface ship support is not available;
• anti-submarine defense, mine countermeasures, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, etc. adaptability to a wide variety of tasks, such as

The aim of the project is to show that XLUUV can adapt to the environment autonomously and perform various tasks with the help of artificial intelligence. Japan is currently at the forefront of using new technologies for submarines. Thus, the Japanese Navy was the first to put lithium-based batteries on submarines. Having this experience adds credibility to this project.

XLUUV’s battery pack is also modular to mission requirements and uses lithium-ion technology. Work on the project started in 2019. This year, it is planned to identify suppliers and partners for the production of device modules. Operational and working tests of the XLUUV prototype have already begun and will continue until 2025.