Iran is likely to examine and potentially reverse-engineer a US military underwater drone captured by its forces, analysts say, although the loss may not provide Tehran with a major military advantage.
The captured vessel is a Dive-LD autonomous underwater vehicle, designed for long-range surveillance and other undersea missions. The system is developed by US defence company Anduril and is intended to operate for extended periods with limited human intervention.
The US Navy said the drone was an older model that suffered a malfunction before Iranian forces recovered it. A US Central Command official said the vessel did not collect sensitive data and was not equipped with classified sonar or radar systems.
However, analysts said Iran could still gain useful technical knowledge by studying the drone's hardware and mechanical systems.
Iran has previously examined captured US military technology. In 2011, Tehran seized an RQ-170 Sentinel stealth reconnaissance drone and later claimed to have reverse-engineered it. Iran subsequently unveiled domestically produced aircraft that appeared to draw from the captured drone's design.
“Of course Iran will take every opportunity as a propaganda win,” said Farzin Nadimi, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, adding that the incident could help the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps improve its own designs.
Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said Iranian engineers could potentially reverse-engineer the drone's mechanical systems, although the software has built-in protections.
The incident has also created a contrast between the US Navy's description of the vessel as an older, malfunctioning system and Anduril's promotion of the Dive-LD as a highly reliable autonomous underwater vehicle capable of operating for up to 10 days in demanding conditions.
The Dive-LD has also been used as a testbed in the development of Australia's Ghost Shark large underwater drone.
Iranian diplomatic missions have meanwhile mocked the United States over the capture, portraying it as evidence of Tehran's ability to monitor and operate around the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts said the incident is unlikely to fundamentally change the military balance, but it could nevertheless provide Iran with a propaganda victory and undermine Washington's efforts to project technological superiority.
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