The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plans to reverse-engineer a captured American unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) recovered near the Strait of Hormuz.
IRGC spokesperson Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi said the navy had taken possession of the submersible, which Tehran claims contains advanced military technology.
Iranian state media identified it as a Dive-LD, a roughly 6-meter (19-foot) platform manufactured by California firm Anduril Industries.
The 3D-printed drone submarine is designed for long-range intelligence gathering, seabed mapping, and naval mine-hunting.
It can operate for up to 10 days, reach depths of 6,000 meters (19,685 feet), and travel at speeds of up to 7 knots (13 kilometers/8 miles per hour). Its stated survey range is 313 nautical miles (580 kilometers/360 miles).
“The war demonstrated that the most advanced US technologies used in the military and defense industries have come under Iran’s control,” Mohebbi said.
“This advanced technology exists in the underwater vessel that fell into the hands of the IRGC Navy forces, and its reverse engineering will begin.”
‘Attritable’ Asset
Washington downplayed the loss, describing the UUV as an older model that suffered a mechanical failure before Iranian forces recovered it.
A Pentagon statement reported by Al Jazeera said the drone carried no classified sonar and radar equipment and held no sensitive data.
Meanwhile, Anduril noted that the Dive-LD is an “attritable autonomous system,” designed for missions where losing the vehicle is an accepted risk.
Analysts told Reuters that Iran could study the drone’s physical design, though software protections may limit what it can learn from its onboard systems.
