CET Selected for NATO DIANA 2026 Challenge Program
Composite Energy Technologies (CET) has been selected to participate in the NATO Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) 2026 Challenge Program, marking a significant milestone in the maturation of its HADALUS Extra-Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (XL-AUV). NATO DIANA is the Alliance’s flagship initiative for accelerating dual-use technologies that address critical defense and security challenges, providing selected companies with access to a transatlantic network of accelerator sites, test centers, mentors, and end-users. CET’s selection recognizes the relevance of its low-cost, scalable undersea systems to NATO mission needs.
Through the DIANA program, CET will focus on advancing HADALUS for scalable deployment, operational testing, and defense mission readiness, particularly in European and NATO contexts. The HADALUS XL-AUV is designed for mass production, containerized global shipment, and rapid assembly at the point of need, combining novel composite hull structures with proprietary deep-water energy systems to deliver long-range, high-payload performance at significantly lower cost than existing XL-AUV platforms. CET plans to deliver a HADALUS vehicle to Europe for assembly and testing, including demonstrations of rapid deployment, extended endurance, and an Anti-Submarine Warfare mission package.
CET leadership emphasized that DIANA participation will enable direct collaboration with NATO end-users and technical experts to further expand the platform’s autonomy, validate mission performance, and strengthen CET’s European footprint. The effort supports CET’s broader goal of enabling affordable, high-volume production of advanced undersea systems that can be rapidly deployed to support NATO and allied maritime operations across a wide range of defense and security missions.