Who Needs Billion-Dollar Submarines? This Torpedo Drone Swims Faster, Smarter, Cheaper

Imagine a compact, rectangular-bodied drone slicing through the ocean at over 30 knots, launched not from a traditional submarine but from an uncrewed platform like Anduril’s Ghost Shark. This is the Copperhead, a new family of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) unveiled by Anduril Industries on April 7, 2025, at the Sea Air Space exhibition in National Harbor, Maryland.

Designed with kamikaze variants called Copperhead-M, these torpedo-like drones are built to integrate with larger UUVs, offering both offensive and utility roles. Dr. Shane Arnott, Anduril’s Senior Vice President for Engineering and maritime lead, told reporters that Copperhead responds to a subsea domain where autonomous technology drives a race for supremacy.

With adversaries like China and Russia expanding unmanned capabilities, Copperhead aims to keep the US and allies competitive. Production is set to ramp up by late 2025, bolstering naval power in this escalating contest.

The Copperhead lineup features two models tailored for this race. The Copperhead-100, a 100-pound UUV, measures just under nine feet long with a 12.75-inch diameter.

It delivers capabilities akin to the Mk 54 lightweight torpedo, a 608-pound weapon used by US surface ships and aircraft. The Copperhead-500, at 500 pounds, extends over 13.5 feet with a 21-inch diameter, matching the Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo, a 3,500-pound munition fired from submarines.

Both exceed 30 knots, powered by undisclosed systems—likely electric motors with advanced batteries. Their rectangular hulls simplify manufacturing, enabling Anduril to target production of hundreds to thousands annually. This far surpasses the Mk 48’s 120-unit output at $4-5 million each.

Unlike legacy torpedoes, Copperheads are recoverable and reusable, allowing refurbishment after a miss—a cost-effective edge in a competition where scale matters.

Deployment flexibility enhances Copperhead’s role in this undersea race. The Copperhead-M variants launch from the Ghost Shark (Dive-XL), already operated by the Royal Australian Navy.

A single Dive-XL can carry dozens of Copperhead-100s or multiple Copperhead-500s for strikes against submarines or ships. Anduril also envisions air launches from cargo planes like the C-130 or large UAVs. Compatibility with the Dive-LD, a UUV that is currently being evaluated by the US Navy, adds further options.

The Lattice AI, also developed by Anduril, powers Copperhead’s autonomy, enabling operators to define precise targeting parameters like ship type—such as an enemy destroyer by size or acoustic signature—and engagement zone, like a 10-mile radius near a chokepoint.

This command-and-control platform integrates data from sonar and optical sensors, using machine learning to classify targets and execute missions within set boundaries. It supports real-time adaptation, with software updates refining seeker logic to track stealthier subs, and optimizes low-bandwidth subsea comms for coordination. This keeps human operators in the loop while letting Copperheads act independently, enhancing their edge in the undersea race.

The drones adapt to threats like stealthier subs via software updates. Beyond combat, Copperheads support payloads like active/passive sonars, magnetometers, side-scan sonars, and chemical detectors.

China’s aggressive UUV deployments fuel this race for supremacy. In December 2019, China deployed 14 Sea Wing (Haiyi) gliders in the Indian Ocean.

They were recovered in February 2020 after collecting over 3,400 hydrographic observations—data vital for submarine navigation and targeting. In December 2020, Indonesian fishermen found a Sea Wing glider off Selayar Island in the Java Sea, a strategic chokepoint.

Equipped with a camera and antenna for ISR, it was likely mapping routes or tracking naval traffic. Another surfaced near Masbate, Philippines, on December 30, 2024, marked HY-L0119, about six miles offshore.

Its sensors suggested underwater reconnaissance in the South China Sea. Between 2019 and 2020, at least three more Sea Wing gliders were recovered in Indonesian waters, signaling a persistent presence to assert maritime claims.

Ukraine’s use of autonomous boats against Russian warships in the Black Sea shows this race in action. On In August 2023, Ukraine struck a Ropucha-class landing ship of the Russian Navy near Novorossiysk with a Magura V5 uncrewed surface vessel (USV).

The high-speed drone boat, carrying explosives, hit the 360-foot ship, causing severe damage and forcing it to be towed back to port. This $200,000 USV crippled a multi-million-dollar warship, proving drones’ impact.

This was not the only time Ukraine would deploy the weapon.

Copperhead strengthens naval operations in this race by integrating with networked platforms. A US submarine could coordinate multiple Ghost Sharks, each deploying Copperheads to hunt enemy subs or patrol lanes like the Luzon Strait.

They can also conduct ISR over vast areas. Acoustic and optical comms, optimised for low-bandwidth subsea conditions, ensure real-time data sharing, with Lattice AI managing coordination.

Priced at an estimated few hundred thousand dollars per unit—far below the Mk 48’s millions—Copperheads can counter adversaries’ numbers.

Sea warfare is tilting toward unmanned, autonomous systems, as Ukraine’s successes show. The US Navy’s Orca LDUUV, designed for extended missions without crew, reflects this shift from human-centric platforms.