Naval technology is developing so rapidly that Australia's new $50 billion fleet of submarines may one day have to face deadly underwater drones, an expert has warned. Earlier this month, the federal government announced the signing of the Attack class submarine Strategic Partnering Agreement with French shipbuilder Naval Group. It will build 12 attack submarines to replace the Royal Australian Navy's ageing Collins class vessels, with the first one scheduled to be delivered in the early 2030s, the federal government said. But Russia has already provided a glimpse of underwater autonomous – or drone - weaponry. The Russian Ministry of Defence released testing footage of its'Poseidon' – a high-speed nuclear torpedo. Naval chiefs said the weapon is capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads and will have a maximum speed of 200 km/h.