A monitoring channel reports that the 'DIVE LD' drone has a claimed endurance of up to 10 days at sea and can operate at depths of 6,000 meters. The post assesses that the IRGC would likely use it for surveillance, patrols in the SoH, and potentially sabotage of undersea cables.
A monitoring channel circulated a report Tuesday evening detailing the capabilities of the 'DIVE LD' undersea drone, the same model the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims to have seized earlier in the day. According to the report, the drone has a claimed endurance of up to 10 days and can operate at depths of 6,000 meters. The assessment notes that while the drone reportedly cannot deploy mines, it may contribute to mine-clearing operations, and states that the IRGC would likely find the platform useful for surveillance, patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, and potential sabotage of undersea cables.
The report follows a series of IRGC announcements Tuesday afternoon. At 17:50 Jerusalem, the IRGC Navy stated it had seized an advanced US autonomous submarine at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it was captured in a complex operation. The IRGC subsequently identified the vessel as the Anduril Dive LD, describing its 10-day endurance and 6,000-meter depth capability. Shortly after, Iranian outlets released the first imagery of the captured drone, showing it in apparently intact condition. Outlets assessed this could allow Iranian engineers to reverse-engineer its technologies.
The IRGC has been expanding its naval capabilities, including operating a fleet of more than 1,000 small boats and sustaining round-the-clock patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, as The Zioneer has previously reported. This development comes amid heightened US-Iran military confrontation, including US strikes on IRGC assets and IRGC claims of strikes on US facilities in the region.
The monitoring channel report originates from a single source and has not been independently verified. The IRGC's capture claim and the released imagery also lack independent confirmation, and US officials have not commented.
3 developments
- DevelopingChina's military unveils KVD002 drone, shows it striking moving naval target in exercise
- StrongIRGC Navy releases footage of drone attack on oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingAmichai Stein: IRGC sent 2–4 attack drones at US Navy ships nightly in the Strait of Hormuz
- StrongIRGC reveals new small kamikaze drones, says they were used in overnight attack on US targets in Kuwait
Source and signal
- Open-source intake