Britain unveils new £14m undersea tech to defend against Russian threats

The Ministry of Defence has described the programme as a direct reaction to renewed Russian submarine operations and underwater activities.

This follows last month's monitoring of the Russian spy vessel Yantar in waters surrounding the UK.

The initiative has secured joint funding of £14million from the MoD and commercial partners during the current year.

Twenty-six companies across the UK and Europe have put forward proposals, with deployment anticipated for next year.

First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins addressed the International Sea Power Conference in London today, unveiling details of the programme.

The speech follows the Strategic Defence Review's identification of vulnerabilities in the maritime domain.

Sir Gwyn said: "The SDR [Strategic Defence Review] identified the maritime domain as increasingly vulnerable - and that maritime security is a strategic imperative for the UK. It is time to act."

He added: "This begins with Atlantic Bastion - our bold new approach to secure the underwater battlespace against a modernising Russia."

An MoD spokesman explained the technical approach: "Atlantic Bastion will see ships, submarines, aircraft and unmanned vessels connected through AI-powered acoustic detection technology and integrated into a digital targeting web - a pioneering network of weapons systems that allow battlefield decisions for targeting enemy threats to be made and executed faster."

Defence Secretary John Healey examined prototype equipment at Portsmouth Naval Base last week that could form part of the Atlantic Bastion system.

The technologies on display included an underwater glider designated SG-1 Fathom and an unmanned watercraft named Rattler that operates by remote control.

Also presented were a model of Proteus, an autonomous helicopter designed for anti-submarine operations, alongside Excalibur, an experimental uncrewed submarine.

Mr Healey said: "People should be in no doubt of the new threats facing the UK and our allies under the sea, where adversaries are targeting infrastructure that is so critical to our way of life."

He added: "This new era of threat demands a new era for defence, and we must rapidly innovate at a wartime pace to maintain the battlefield edge."

The Russian spy ship Yantar's presence near British waters last month highlighted the escalating concern over threats to critical infrastructure beneath the sea.

Undersea cables and pipelines form the backbone of the nation's connectivity, transporting 99 per cent of international telecommunications data alongside essential energy supplies including electricity, oil and gas.

The vulnerability of this infrastructure has prompted international cooperation on maritime security.

Last Thursday saw the UK and Norway conclude a defence agreement enabling their naval forces to operate a joint fleet of warships.

The pact specifically targets the protection of vital undersea cables against potential adversarial action.

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