Maritime Big Play showcases the strength of UKDI investment in AUKUS innovation
UK-backed firms SEA Ltd and DAS Ltd demonstrated advanced maritime technologies at a U.S.-hosted AUKUS event, highlighting collaborative innovation in underwater systems and autonomous fleet coordination.
Maritime Big Play in San Diego brought together innovators from the UK, USA and Australia to test next-generation maritime technologies under the AUKUS partnership. The event served as a proving ground for capabilities aimed at addressing shared security challenges in contested maritime environments. UK-funded companies SEA Ltd and DAS Ltd participated, showcasing tools designed to enhance underwater operations and autonomous systems coordination.
SEA Ltd presented its Acoustic Deployment Environment Planning Tool, which uses high-resolution environmental data and acoustic modelling to predict and optimise underwater communications. The technology builds on over two decades of Royal Navy support and has been enhanced through UKDI funding ahead of the event. The tool aims to improve situational awareness and command and control in complex underwater environments.
DAS Ltd demonstrated the Autonomous Fleet Task Assignment Framework (AF-TAF), a software solution for coordinating fleets of autonomous underwater vehicles. AF-TAF enables distributed decision-making among AUVs, reducing reliance on centralised control and improving mission effectiveness in communications-degraded environments. The framework supports defence planners in optimising fleet structures and operational scenarios.
For UKDI, the exercise underscored the impact of its investment in accelerating UK technologies from development to demonstration alongside allied partners. The event was attended by Sir Stephen Lovegrove, the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on AUKUS, reflecting the UK’s commitment to defence innovation through the partnership.