Defense companies Thales and BAE Systems have decided to collaborate on the integration of a new intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) mast system intended for use on the Herne extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle (XLAUV).
The partnership focuses on combining Thales’ new ISR mast technology with BAE Systems’ Herne XLAUV platform as both companies seek to expand capabilities for autonomous and uncrewed naval operations. The demonstration is scheduled for 2027.
According to Thales, the ISR mast system is being developed at the company’s optronics facility in Glasgow and is designed specifically for uncrewed and autonomous applications. The system features a modular architecture that enables different sensor payloads to be integrated depending on mission requirements.
In addition to visual sensing capabilities, the mast can also support electronic warfare, communications and navigation payloads. The companies said the system is intended to provide real-time intelligence while reducing above-water exposure time during operations in contested environments.
The Herne XLAUV platform has been designed to accommodate a range of payloads, while the ISR mast itself is platform agnostic and scalable, allowing integration across different autonomous systems.
Tommy Cowan, Sea Business Sector Director at Thales, said the collaboration reflects a broader effort to improve threat detection and response capabilities for uncrewed underwater platforms supporting hybrid naval operations.
Thales and BAE Systems said they have a long-standing history of collaboration on submarine sensor systems dating back to the Valiant-class submarine program in 1966. The companies now aim to apply that experience to next-generation autonomous subsurface platforms.