Foreign Reports: Iran May Reverse Engineer U.S. Military Drone Submarines

Reference News Network reported on September 13 According to Reuters on September 9, Iran has captured a U.S. military unmanned underwater vehicle, providing Tehran with an opportunity to study and potentially reverse-engineer the vehicle. This has posed a setback for the Pentagon and the vehicle's manufacturer, Anduril Industries.

The U.S. military and Anduril Industries are attempting to downplay the impact of the vehicle falling into Iranian hands. The Dive-LD is a vehicle designed for long-range reconnaissance and other underwater missions, belonging to a new generation of military unmanned systems that can operate for several days without human intervention.

Previously, Washington viewed the advanced unmanned systems falling into Iranian hands as a serious incident. In 2011, after Iran captured an RQ-170 "Sentinel" stealth reconnaissance drone, then-President Obama publicly demanded Tehran return the aircraft. Iran later claimed to have reverse-engineered the drone and subsequently launched several domestic models that appeared to heavily borrow from the design of the U.S. drone.

The U.S. military also quickly took action to prevent the Iranian military from acquiring unmanned vessel technology. The U.S. Navy stated that in 2022, Iranian naval vessels attempted to tow away an unmanned surface vehicle in the Gulf region, prompting the U.S. military to dispatch patrol ships and MH-60S "Seahawk" helicopters in response.

Analysts say that Iran is unlikely to gain a decisive military advantage from the captured vehicle, but this incident represents a propaganda victory for Tehran and an embarrassing setback for Washington in demonstrating its technological superiority.

U.S. Navy Captain Tim Hawkins stated that the "malfunctioning vehicle belongs to an older model, has not collected sensitive data, and does not carry any classified sonar or radar equipment."

Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said, "Iran will certainly seize every opportunity to promote this victory. It can help the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps improve its own equipment."

Brian Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said that Iran will almost certainly attempt to dismantle the unmanned underwater vehicle's hardware, but the vehicle's software carries built-in protective mechanisms. He mentioned Iran's past handling of captured U.S. aircraft, believing that Iranian engineers "are absolutely capable of reverse-engineering mechanical systems."

The Iranian Consulate General in Hyderabad, India, posted on social media platform X, stating, "Our reverse-engineering engineers will hold an 'unboxing' ceremony!"

This incident also highlights the inconsistency between Anduril Industries and its client, the U.S. Navy, in their statements.

U.S. Navy officials said that the Dive-LD is an older model of unmanned underwater vehicle that lost power due to a malfunction and was subsequently retrieved by the Iranian military.

Anduril Industries has consistently promoted the Dive-LD as the "most reliable and versatile" large unmanned underwater vehicle on the market, claiming it can operate continuously for up to 10 days in harsh environments. In addition to being used by the U.S. Navy, the Dive-LD is also used as a testing platform to assist Australia in developing the new "Ghost Shark" large unmanned underwater vehicle.

Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, "Iran is very adept at leveraging such incidents to its advantage, attempting to steer public opinion towards the narrative of 'U.S. incompetence' and Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz." (Translated by Zhu Jie)