New Aukus drone subs to protect critical undersea cables as Marles warns: ‘seabed is a battlefield’

It comes as Chinese-linked vessels have been suspected in incidents involving damaged undersea cables near Taiwan and in European waters, adding urgency to efforts by Washington and its allies to secure critical seabed infrastructure.

The US is working with Australia and the UK to develop ​unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) under the umbrella of the AUKUS defense bloc, amid warnings from Beijing that it would trigger an arms race.

Defence ministers from the UK, Australia and the US on Saturday announced a joint partnership to develop and deploy "cutting-edge" underwater drone technologies as part of a push to boost maritime security.

The announcement, which came during a security conference in Singapore, is part of a trilateral military alliance between the nations known as Aukus.