The UK is going to invest £90m in drones and artificial intelligence to search for Russian submarines

The UK is going to invest £90 million (approximately $121 million) in new underwater drones, sensors and artificial intelligence systems that will help detect Russian submarines in the North Atlantic and protect undersea cables and energy infrastructure.

This was reported by the UK Ministry of Defense.

The new system, called “Atlantic Net”, will be created as part of the Royal Navyʼs larger “Atlantic Bastion” program. It will combine autonomous underwater vehicles, advanced sensors and artificial intelligence into a single surveillance network.

Drones will patrol the seabed, while sensors will help detect Russian submarines and suspicious activity. The information will be transmitted to British warships and “Astute”-class nuclear submarines so that they can respond more quickly to threats.

The system will also protect vital maritime trade routes, undersea communications cables and energy networks on which the UK and its allies depend, and will help ensure the security of the UKʼs nuclear deterrent.

The British government will enter into an agreement with “Ocean Infinity Solutions” to implement the project. The investment will create almost 200 new highly skilled jobs.

"Threats in the North Atlantic waters are changing, and we are changing with them. This investment will give the Royal Navy new technologies for early detection of threats and protection of our critical infrastructure," said British Minister for Defence Preparedness and Industry Luke Pollard.

• In April 2026, the UK uncovered a covert operation by Russian submarines operating near vital undersea cables and pipelines in the Atlantic. Three Russian submarines were tracked by British and Norwegian military forces for over a month. The Russians eventually left the area without damaging the infrastructure.
• In September, Reuters learned that during that operation, Russian submarines attempted to test a secret weapon against undersea cables near the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. They were thwarted by forces from the UK, Norway and the US.

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