Tehran Explores Reverse-Engineering of Seized American Underwater Drone

By Mike Stone and David Jeans

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) – Iran’s seizure of a U.S. military underwater drone provides Tehran a chance to examine and potentially replicate the technology, posing a setback for the Pentagon and manufacturer Anduril.

The U.S. military and Anduril have downplayed the incident. The vessel, a Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle intended for long-range surveillance and undersea operations, belongs to a new generation of military drones designed to function for days with minimal human oversight. Washington has historically treated the loss of advanced drones to Iran as a significant concern.

In 2011, after Iran captured an RQ-170 Sentinel stealth reconnaissance drone, then-President Barack Obama publicly requested its return. Iran later claimed it had reverse-engineered the aircraft and subsequently unveiled domestic models that appeared heavily based on its design.

More recently, the U.S. military acted quickly to prevent Iranian forces from seizing uncrewed maritime technology. In 2022, a U.S. Navy patrol ship and MH-60S Seahawk helicopter were deployed after an Iranian naval vessel attempted to tow away a Saildrone surface vessel in the Gulf, according to the Navy.

Analysts suggest Iran is unlikely to gain a decisive military advantage from the captured drone, but the episode represents a propaganda victory for Tehran and an awkward setback for Washington’s efforts to project technological superiority.

IRANIAN EMBASSIES MOCK U.S.

Iranian embassies worldwide have mocked the U.S. for losing the drone. Iran’s embassy in Ghana, on X, boasted about retrieving the submersible in “a strait controlled by people who can hear a shrimp sneeze,” adding that “Our guys picked it up like a plastic bottle in a fishing net. Fully intact. Still blinking like an idiot. Condolences to whoever was holding the joystick.”

Anduril and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“Of course Iran will take every opportunity as a propaganda win,” said Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “It can help the (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) make better versions of their own designs.”

Iran will almost certainly attempt to pry open the drone’s hardware, though the software includes built-in defenses, said Bryan Clark, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at the Hudson Institute. Iranian engineers “could definitely reverse-engineer the mechanical systems,” he noted, citing Tehran’s history with captured American aircraft.

“Unboxing ceremony by our reverse engineers, tomorrow morning!” Iran’s embassy in Hyderabad wrote on X.

The incident has also highlighted a disconnect between Anduril’s messaging and its client, the U.S. Navy.

Navy officials stated the Dive-LD was an older-model vehicle that suffered a malfunction and was recovered by Iranian forces after being left “dead in the water.”

Anduril has promoted the Dive-LD as “the most reliable and flexible” large autonomous underwater vehicle, claiming it can operate for up to 10 days in demanding conditions.

“This is something that Iran has proven very adept at exploiting for its own benefit in terms of seeking to frame the narrative as one of U.S., in this case, ineptitude and their ability to sort of retain control over the Strait of Hormuz,” said Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington and David Jeans in New York; editing by Joe Brock, Chris Sanders, Rod Nickel)

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