Anduril announced it acquired Popoto Modem, a Massachusetts-based company specializing in underwater acoustic communications. The technology is designed to solve a major challenge in the undersea domain: enabling large numbers of autonomous underwater vehicles to communicate reliably with one another, surface vessels, and the broader fleet.

Popoto’s acoustic modems enable persistent, multi-node mesh networking underwater, allowing many affordable autonomous systems to operate together rather than relying on expensive point-to-point communications. Anduril has already integrated Popoto’s technology into several maritime products after working with the company for more than a year.

The acquisition will initially focus on integrating the technology into Anduril’s Copperhead autonomous underwater vehicles, allowing a single operator to manage large formations of AUVs while keeping them connected and coordinated. Overall, Anduril says the deal will accelerate its push to deploy scalable, networked autonomous systems across the undersea domain.