Teledyne Marine Deploys Gavia UUV in AUKUS Exercise Lanternfish 2026

Teledyne Marine has participated in Exercise Lanternfish 2026, a multinational AUKUS Pillar 2 exercise focused on advancing seabed warfare capabilities and protecting critical undersea infrastructure. Working with UK Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy teams at Naval Base Kitsap-Keyport, the company supported operations with its Gavia unmanned undersea vehicle. The two-week engagement completed successful surveys and tested a new Acoustic Intelligence module, demonstrating the platform's modular capability across allied-operated undersea missions.

 

Details of the Exercise

 

Teledyne Marine took part in a significant multinational exercise. The exercise was named Lanternfish 2026. It formed part of the AUKUS Pillar 2 programme. The exercise focused on advancing seabed warfare capabilities. It also addressed the protection of critical undersea infrastructure.

The company represents subsea technology providers within Teledyne Technologies. Its personnel worked closely with allied naval teams. These included the UK Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy. The collaboration took place at Naval Base Kitsap-Keyport in Washington state. The engagement ran from 14 to 26 June 2026.

 

The Gavia UUV Deployment

 

The company supported operations with a specific vehicle. It deployed the Teledyne Gavia unmanned undersea vehicle. The company provided technical expertise for the operations. It also supplied specialised Gavia modules for the exercise. These included battery and Acoustic Intelligence modules.

The deployment was part of a broader multi-site exercise. Lanternfish 2026 was executed across several locations simultaneously. These spanned Keyport in Washington and Little Creek in Virginia. Panama City in Florida was also involved. Monterey Bay in California completed the exercise locations.

 

Operations at Keyport

 

The company played a specific role at the Keyport site. It supported the Royal Navy's Hydrographic Exploitation Group. This group operated the Gavia system during the exercise. The operation was a multi-vehicle undersea domain awareness demonstration. It involved US and Australian counterparts alongside the Royal Navy.

The engagement achieved several operational goals. The team completed successful unmanned undersea vehicle surveys. It also tested the new Teledyne Gavia Acoustic Intelligence module. The vehicle's modular design allowed sensor payloads to be reconfigured. This supported both seabed survey and acoustic intelligence missions.

 

Read More: Vatn Systems and NCSIST Partner on AUV Autonomy for Taiwan's Navy

 

The Value of Modularity

 

The Gavia platform's flexibility was central to the exercise. Its modular design is a defining feature. This allows operators to reconfigure sensor payloads as needed. A single vehicle can adapt to different mission types. This versatility suits the varied demands of undersea warfare.

This adaptability offers practical advantages for navies. Operators can use one vehicle for multiple mission requirements. The platform can shift between survey and intelligence roles. This reduces the need for multiple specialised vehicles. It also allows navies to respond to evolving mission needs.

 

Significance for AUKUS

 

The exercise supports key alliance objectives. It advances the AUKUS Pillar 2 goal of accelerating undersea capabilities. This involves the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. The focus is on autonomous and sensing technologies. The exercise strengthens cooperation among the three nations.

The exercise addressed shared security concerns. The Royal Navy said it strengthened allied efforts on undersea threats. This covered detecting, monitoring and responding to such threats. These threats target critical undersea infrastructure. The exercise reflects growing focus on protecting this infrastructure.

 

Building on Established Collaboration

 

The engagement reflects an ongoing pattern of cooperation. Company leadership described supporting AUKUS allies with Gavia's capability. Seeing it proven through allied-operated missions was highlighted. The Acoustic Intelligence module testing marked real progress. This advances shared undersea capability across the three nations.

The Keyport work builds on a longer collaboration history. The company has long worked with allied navies on Gavia operations. This includes annual support for REPMUS in Portugal. The modular platform enables navies to adapt one vehicle across missions. This ongoing collaboration underpins the company's role with allied forces.