Iran Captures and Reverse-Engineers U.S. Dive-LD Underwater Drone

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it will begin reverse-engineering a captured United States underwater drone. The IRGC Navy intercepted the unmanned vehicle at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz following what the group described as a "complex intelligence and operational action."

The captured system is a Dive-LD, an autonomous underwater vehicle developed by Anduril Industries and delivered to the U.S. Navy in 2025. Designed for seabed mapping, reconnaissance, and surveillance, the drone can operate at depths of up to 6,000 meters.

Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi stated that the capture demonstrates that advanced U.S. military technologies have fallen under Iranian control. While the IRGC views the acquisition as a strategic gain for its domestic unmanned programs, analysts suggest the incident is a symbolic setback for U.S. technological superiority rather than a decisive military shift.