First-ever launch of uncrewed tech from foreign warship marks new era in Royal Navy ops

The Royal Navy has used uncrewed technology to detect and gather information on underwater threats from an allied warship, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s (JMSDF) Uraga-class mine countermeasure vessel, for the first time.

X-Ray Unit 1 is MTXG’s expert operator of uncrewed underwater vehicles. They are currently in the Gulf operating alongside foreign personnel and ships as part of the recent International Maritime Exercise (IMX).

JMSDF’s vessel JS Bungo was the lead ship for the sea phase of the exercise in which MTXG successfully deployed and operated their Remus 300 uncrewed submersible to detect and classify objects of interest.

Along with MTXG X-Ray Units 1 and 3, the Royal Navy also sent expert divers and bomb disposal teams from the Diving and Threat Exploitation Group, and Royal Marines from 42 Commando – the UK’s specialists in boarding operations.

“IMX 2025 has helped to continue demonstrating the collective commitment to the rules-based order within the region and has allowed X-Ray Unit 1 to work alongside the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force to better understand our shared tactics, techniques and procedures,” Lieutenant Craig Wadley, the officer in charge of X-Ray Unit, said.

“X-Ray Unit 1 have not only been able to work collectively with the JMSDF to better understand procedures for underwater exploitation but have also been able to fully immerse ourselves in Japanese culture, customs and cuisine – a truly memorable experience and a highlight in many of our careers for sure,” he added.

IMX is the second largest maritime exercise in the world, involving more than 30 nations and international organizations and more than 5,000 personnel. Exercises take place across a vast area including the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden and the Gulf and across all domains – sea, air and land.

These exercises included diving, harbor security, mine countermeasures, boarding/search operations, and using uncrewed systems with artificial intelligence integration.

They tackled scenarios covering terrorism, smuggling, sea mines and aerial drone attacks. This year’s IMX saw a strong focus on uncrewed and autonomous systems and how they are a crucial tool in tackling emerging threats.

“This exercise marks an important step in enhancing interoperability between the United Kingdom and Japan in mine countermeasure operations. Through this exercise, we successfully demonstrated the ability to deploy UK uncrewed underwater vehicles from Japanese Mine Sweeper Tender ship Bungo, as well as the capability to launch and recover UK boats,” Captain Amano Shinsuke, of the Japanese Navy, stated.

The Royal Navy recently took delivery of three new uncrewed vessels to help with mine hunting and survey operations. The Mine and Threat Exploitation Group are now using three new Iver4 580 uncrewed underwater vessels (UUVs) delivered by L3 Harris.

The systems detect underwater objects such as mines and other items of interest without putting sailors and divers at risk. The slimline Iver4 vehicles – around two meters long – are capable of operating for hours at a time at depths up to nearly 1,000ft.

They are now in the hands of MTXG’s Zulu Squadron as part of the UK’s minehunting capability (MHC) program.