Anduril Introduces Copperhead: A Torpedo-Inspired Underwater Kamikaze Drone

Anduril has unveiled a torpedo-inspired underwater attack drone, said to reshape undersea warfare with rapid, cost-effective responses to emerging threats.

Dubbed the Copperhead, the software-defined weapon enables naval forces to engage maritime threats more effectively, enhancing the protection of valuable assets and personnel.

It comes in two models — Copperhead-100 and Copperhead-500 — offering different sizes, strike ranges, and payload capacities to suit diverse operational needs.

It can also reach a speed greater than 30 knots (55 kilometers/34 miles per hour) and can be equipped with active and passive sensors, magnetometers, and side-scan sonar.

According to Anduril, the kamikaze drone ushers in a new era of autonomous undersea dominance, providing a “mass-producible” solution at a fraction of the cost of legacy systems.

Compatible With Large Underwater Vehicles

The Copperhead is described as the first torpedo-like capability designed to be carried by autonomous underwater systems.

It can be launched from Anduril’s Dive-LD and Dive-XL platforms, offering the ability to control vast ocean areas with an unprecedented level of autonomous seapower.

“Current systems are expensive, slow to produce, and tightly coupled to legacy platforms like nuclear submarines and warships,” the company stated.

“The US and its allies need far more autonomous, quickly-deployable subsea systems that can integrate with the expanding fleet of autonomous subsea, surface, and air vehicles.”

Beyond precision strikes, the Copperhead can support critical missions such as search and rescue, infrastructure inspection, and environmental monitoring.

Anduril plans to integrate the Copperhead into larger uncrewed undersea platforms, including its Ghost Shark autonomous submarine, to further expand its capabilities.