Italian Firm Drass Reveals 'Ronda' XLUUV

Italian midget submarine builder Drass has shown some images of their XLUUV (extra-large uncrewed underwater vehicle) design. It appears to be designed for intelligence gathering and minelaying.

The Ronda AUV is shown, in full-length configuration, on an information board next to the Drass DS-8 SDV, December 2023

The Ronda is based on the company’s DS-8 swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV). The passenger space is taken up by additional batteries and the hull can be extended. It is described by the company under the genetic term AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle).

Based on available images it is around 20 meters long in ‘full’ configuration. Possibly it could be built shorter for shorter range missions or for reduced payload space.

Drass

The Ronda is also possibly the ‘autonomous attack submarine’ reportedly being built for Indonesia. The vehicles, along with a larger DG-550 submarine, will apparently be built by PT Republik Palindo shipyard in Indonesia.

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