UK critical infrastructure will be protected from Russian submarines through a new defence agreement that will see British and Norwegian navies operating side-by-side in the North Atlantic, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) said recently.
The new Lunna House Agreement will see the Royal Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy operate an interchangeable fleet of British-built Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates.
The MOD said the agreement follows a 30 per cent increase in Russian vessels threatening UK waters in the past two years.
The UK will contribute eight Type 26 ships while at least five sister ships will be fielded by Norway under the agreement, which is named after Lunna House in the Shetland Isles, the Scottish headquarters of the Norwegian resistance during the Second World War.
The MOD said the Type 26 warships will patrol the strategically vital gap between Greenland, Iceland and the UK, monitoring Russian naval activity and defending critical infrastructure such as underwater cables and pipelines, which carry vital communications, electricity and gas.
Both navies will operate as one – sharing maintenance facilities, technology and equipment to create truly interchangeable forces able to deploy rapidly wherever needed.