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DRASS

Italian compact-submarine builder; DG-900 provides the AUV host platform in Europe's AUKUS Pillar II bid.

DRASS, the Italian submarine builder, partnered with Norway's Kongsberg on 8 June 2026 to bid its DG-900 compact submarine into AUKUS Pillar II procurement, offering navies without large attack-submarine fleets a route into seabed autonomy.

Last refreshed: 24 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

Can DRASS's compact submarine break into an AUKUS programme designed around US vehicles?

Timeline for DRASS

#7 15 Jul

Mentioned in: Kongsberg to design a US Navy drone sub

Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea
#7 6 Jul

Mentioned in: Thales buys Exail for EUR 3.9 billion

Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea
#6 2 Jul

Mentioned in: Kongsberg sells subsea guard in secret

Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea
#5 30 Jun

Mentioned in: Britain names four uncrewed warship classes

Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea
#3 8 Jun

Partnered with Kongsberg to provide DG-900 compact submarine as AUV host platform

Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: Europe bids for the AUKUS seabed
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Background

DRASS, based in Livorno, is an Italian manufacturer of small submarines, diving systems and hyperbaric chambers, drawing on Italy's submarine-technology heritage and the wider Fincantieri industrial ecosystem. Its DG-series ranges from one-person swimmer-delivery vehicles to the DG-900, a compact conventional submarine built for autonomous underwater vehicle launch and recovery.

The DG-900's usual buyers are special-operations units and research institutes wanting a submarine smaller than a full attack boat. Its Kongsberg tie-up puts that same hull forward as a compact AUV host, giving navies without large submarine fleets a route into seabed autonomy without waiting for nuclear-powered boats.

The commercial significance runs beyond DRASS's specialist niche: it gives a mid-sized European manufacturer a plausible foothold in AUKUS-scale procurement, provided technology-transfer rules eventually allow a non-AUKUS-nation submarine into the programme.

Key Issues
AUKUS seabed bid

DRASS bids into AUKUS seabed warfare

DRASS partnered with Norway's Kongsberg on 8 June 2026 to bid for AUKUS Pillar II undersea-warfare procurement, contributing its DG-900 compact submarine as the launch-and-recovery platform for Kongsberg's HUGIN Superior autonomous underwater vehicles. The DG-900 carries up to three AUVs, offering a repeatable cycle a single vehicle cannot sustain, and gives Australia's interim fleet a route into seabed autonomy before nuclear-powered SSN-AUKUS boats arrive in the 2030s.

No contract value or AUKUS customer commitment has followed the announcement, and whether the DG-900 clears US export-control review for AUKUS procurement remains the open question determining whether DRASS's bid converts into business.

Common Questions
What does DRASS make and why is it relevant to AUKUS?
DRASS builds compact submarines and hyperbaric systems. Its DG-900 compact submarine, which carries up to three autonomous underwater vehicles, is the host platform in the Kongsberg-DRASS bid for AUKUS Pillar II procurement announced at ILA Berlin on 8 June 2026.Source: Tech Times / Kongsberg press release
How does a compact submarine host AUVs differently from a large attack submarine?
The DG-900 is designed specifically for AUV launch-and-recovery missions; it does not need the torpedo tubes used on full-size attack submarines. This makes it accessible to navies like Australia's, which lack nuclear-powered boats, while waiting for SSN-AUKUS boats expected in the 2030s.Source: Kongsberg-DRASS partnership analysis
Is DRASS a NATO-approved supplier?
DRASS operates within the Italian and wider NATO industrial base and has supplied diving and submarine systems to NATO-member navies, but whether the DG-900 meets ITAR compatibility requirements for AUKUS procurement has not been publicly confirmed.
Has DRASS won any new contracts since the AUKUS bid announcement?
No. As of July 2026, DRASS has disclosed no new contracts since the 8 June ILA Berlin announcement of the Kongsberg-DRASS bid. Its partner Kongsberg has, however, won a US Navy design contract and commercial subsea deals in the same period.