Advanced U.S. Submersible Seized in Hormuz... Will Iran "Copy" It?

"Seized Submersible Delivered to U.S. Last Year"
Military Experts Warn of Reverse Engineering Risks

There are growing concerns that Iran may acquire advanced technology through the capture of a U.S. underwater vehicle in the Strait of Hormuz, especially through its longstanding expertise in reverse engineering.

According to reports from international news outlets including The Jerusalem Post on September 9 (local time), the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran issued a statement the previous day, saying, "We have seized one of the most modern and sophisticated unmanned underwater vehicles owned by the murderous U.S. military at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz." The IRGC further described the vehicle as "a smart submersible equipped with state-of-the-art submarine technology, which was delivered to the U.S. military unit last year."

The media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran, Sepah News, released a video on the 8th (local time) showing the IRGC capturing the U.S. latest unmanned underwater vehicle 'Dive-LD' in the Strait of Hormuz. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

The seized submarine is identified as the Dive-LD model, designed and manufactured by U.S. defense contractor Anduril. This large autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle from Anduril is six meters long, capable of diving up to 6,000 meters. Its maximum operating duration is ten days, and its price is around 2.5 million U.S. dollars (approximately 3.35 billion won).

According to specifications introduced on Anduril's official website, the Dive-LD can take on various roles including mine warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. The Dive-LD also serves as the foundation for Anduril's next-generation extra-large unmanned underwater vehicle technology. In particular, it is reported to be a testbed for the "Ghost Shark" unmanned underwater vehicle currently being developed in cooperation with Australia.

After the IRGC issued its statement, U.S. Central Command spokesperson Navy Captain Tim Hawkins acknowledged the capture. However, he explained that the vehicle had already malfunctioned a day before it was seized. Captain Hawkins stated, "The captured vehicle is an older model and does not carry sensitive data collection equipment such as classified sonar or radar."

Experts believe there is a possibility that the captured Dive-LD will be reverse-engineered by Iran. Farzin Nadimi, Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, commented, "This incident could aid the IRGC in developing its own improved submersibles." Brian Clark, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former senior U.S. Navy official, also predicted, "The platform's systems will certainly be reverse-engineered."

In fact, Iran has built up its technological prowess by reverse-engineering U.S. military equipment. In 2011, Iran captured a U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel stealth drone and later unveiled its own weapon that seemed to resemble the captured drone.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.