UK Launches AI-Powered Naval Shield to Protect Undersea Cables from Russia
The United Kingdom has announced a major new defence initiative that will use artificial intelligence to identify and deter Russian submarines.
The Gaze informs about it, referring to The Independent.
The multimillion-pound programme, known as Atlantic Bastion, was revealed as concerns grow over Moscow’s activities in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea.
Britain’s undersea infrastructure – which carries 99% of international telecommunications data and transports essential electricity, oil and gas supplies – has increasingly been viewed as a strategic vulnerability. Officials warn that Russia is expanding capabilities designed to target subsea systems.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said Atlantic Bastion would fuse ships, submarines, aircraft and unmanned systems into a single digital surveillance and response network. Powered by AI-enabled acoustic detection technology, the system is intended to track hostile vessels across vast ocean areas and, where required, enable rapid countermeasures.
The initiative marks what Defence Secretary John Healey described as a shift toward a “high-tech hybrid force capable of detecting, deterring and, if necessary, neutralising those who threaten us.” Healey pointed to recent sightings of the Russian intelligence ship Yantar, which repeatedly moved in and out of British waters, as evidence of Moscow’s persistent probing.
“We know what Putin is developing, and we know what he is trying to achieve,” Healey said. “Whether on the surface or deep underwater, we can find them, follow them, and, together with our allies, we are ready to act.”
The Ministry of Defence and private industry have so far invested £14 million to test and refine the system, with 26 UK and European companies submitting development proposals.
The announcement follows news that Britain and Norway plan to sign a historic defence pact creating a joint naval fleet specifically dedicated to tracking Russian submarines in the North Atlantic. It also comes amid recent reports of damaged subsea cables in the Baltic Sea, incidents Western intelligence services attribute to expanding Russian covert operations.
Earlier, UK defence analysts confirmed that Russia is upgrading its fleet with capabilities tailored for sabotage against undersea communications and energy infrastructure.
As The Gaze previously reported, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have signed a licensing agreement for the production of the Ukrainian Octopus interceptor drone at British facilities.
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