The UK Royal Navy's Madfox USV participating in a NATO exercise in Portugal, October 14, 2021  Royal Navy
Unmanned Security Systems

UK invests £90m in autonomous tech to counter Russian undersea threats

Reuters

Britain said on Tuesday it would spend £90 million ($121 million) on drones, sensors and artificial intelligence systems to help the Royal Navy counter Russian undersea threats in the North Atlantic and protect critical infrastructure.

New network of autonomous systems equipped with advanced sensors will create a unified surveillance capability to improve the detection and monitoring of submarine activity.

Western officials have warned Russia has increased activity around subsea infrastructure.

In April, Britain said it had deployed military vessels to deter Russian submarines who it said had spent more than a month in and around British waters, warning Moscow that any attempt to damage cables or pipelines would have "serious consequences". Russia has denied the allegations.

NATO allies have strengthened surveillance of cables and pipelines in recent years.

Undersea cables carry most global internet traffic and support financial transactions.

(Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Yoruk Bahceli)