Anduril has unveiled a torpedo-inspired underwater attack drone in response to emerging maritime threats.

Named Copperhead, this software-defined weapon enhances the ability of naval forces to engage hostile targets at sea, offering improved protection for critical assets and personnel.

According to the company, the system is available in two variants — Copperhead-100 and Copperhead-500 — each offering different sizes, strike ranges, and payload capacities to meet diverse operational requirements.

The Copperhead-100 features a 12.75-inch diameter vehicle approximately 2.5 metres in length, with a dry weight of 100 pounds. The larger Copperhead-500 has a diameter of 21 inches and carries a payload of approximately 500 pounds (dry weight). Both variants boast top speeds exceeding 55 km/h and can be equipped with active and passive sensors, magnetometers, and side-scan sonar.

Anduril describes the drone as ushering in a new era of autonomous undersea dominance, providing a mass-producible, cost-effective alternative to legacy systems.

Copperhead is regarded as the first torpedo-like capability designed specifically for deployment from autonomous underwater platforms. It can be launched from Anduril’s Dive-LD and Dive-XL systems, enabling naval forces to exert control over vast maritime areas with an unprecedented level of autonomous power projection.

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

Anduril intends to integrate Copperhead into larger uncrewed undersea platforms, including its Ghost Shark autonomous submarine, to further extend the system’s operational reach and versatility.

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