Copperhead Unleashed: Anduril’s New Underwater Kamikaze Drone Set to Revolutionize Seabed Warfare

Anduril Industries has unveiled an innovative new weapon that could change the future of undersea combat — the Copperhead, a torpedo-inspired, autonomous underwater kamikaze drone. Built to deliver fast, cost-effective, and precise maritime strikes, Copperhead is designed for modern naval forces facing increasingly complex underwater threats.

Unlike traditional torpedoes that require expensive platforms like submarines or manned ships, Copperhead offers a new class of mass-producible, software-defined underwater weapons that can be quickly deployed and operated without direct human involvement.

Two Powerful Variants for Diverse Missions

The Copperhead drone comes in two variants to accommodate different mission requirements:

• Copperhead-100: Smaller in size, ideal for short-range missions, rapid deployment, and high-speed interception.
• Copperhead-500: Larger, with greater payload capacity and extended range, perfect for long-duration or high-impact strike missions.

Key Specifications

• Speed: Exceeds 30 knots (approximately 55 km/h or 34 mph), allowing fast engagement of dynamic targets.
• Sensors: Equipped with a range of advanced technologies including:
  • Active and passive sonar systems
  • Magnetometers
  • Side-scan sonar for detailed seafloor mapping and object detection
• Payload: Capable of carrying various warheads or mission-specific equipment based on operational requirements.

Designed for Autonomy and Integration

What truly sets Copperhead apart is its compatibility with large autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). It can be deployed from Anduril’s Dive-LD and Dive-XL platforms, which are themselves uncrewed, long-duration underwater drones. This allows naval forces to operate far from traditional bases or ships while maintaining persistent control over vast ocean territories.

Anduril describes Copperhead as the first torpedo-like drone specifically created for autonomous deployment, eliminating dependence on legacy systems such as nuclear submarines or costly warships.

Multi-Mission Capabilities

While Copperhead’s primary role is as a kamikaze-style strike drone, it is also engineered for versatility. It can take on missions such as:

• Search and rescue operations
• Underwater infrastructure inspection
• Environmental monitoring
• Covert intelligence gathering

Anduril is also working to integrate Copperhead with larger underwater platforms like the Ghost Shark — a highly classified autonomous submarine project — to create a networked underwater strike system capable of operating independently for extended periods.

Redefining Undersea Warfare

Traditional underwater weapons are expensive, slow to manufacture, and often limited by their platform compatibility. Copperhead offers a cheaper, faster, and smarter alternative, shifting the focus from brute-force naval warfare to intelligent, networked, autonomous operations.

By combining speed, modularity, and autonomy, Copperhead marks a major step toward the future of undersea dominance, especially in contested zones where the U.S. and its allies seek a technological edge.

With the rising importance of securing seabed infrastructure, deterring enemy submarines, and responding swiftly to undersea threats, the Copperhead isn’t just a new weapon — it’s a game-changer.