On Tuesday, November 3, French naval shipbuilder Naval Group and Abu Dhabi's Technology Innovation Institute (TII) signed an agreement to examine opportunities to jointly develop and commercialise uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV).
The agreement covers ongoing underwater monitoring and reconnaissance in non-contested waters, alongside an ambition to develop combat UUVs for contested waters.
According to TII, the cooperation will combine the institute's capabilities in the XLUUV category (unmanned underwater vehicles of extra-large size) with Naval Group's experience in unmanned underwater combat systems. TII is the applied-research arm of Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council.
"Building on the close and longstanding relationship between Naval Group and the UAE, this partnership with TII reflects our shared ambition to foster innovation and develop cutting-edge autonomous underwater capabilities," said Aurore Neuschwander, Naval Group's executive vice president for drones, autonomous and underwater weapons systems.
TII has described its XLUUV as a 5.5-metre modular platform sized for a standard 20-foot container. The vehicle has a reconfigurable mission section. The institute has scheduled initial sea trials for December 2026.
In September 2025, TII signed a collaboration agreement with Abu Dhabi Ship Building covering areas including unmanned underwater systems and marine autonomy.