London announced the country's transition to a 'war readiness' mode.
The United Kingdom is working on the 'Atlantic Bastion' technology due to the 'activity' of Russian submarines. The program will be launched in 2026 and will help modernize the Navy with the aid of AI. The project was presented by the Kingdom's Defense Minister John Healey during a visit to the naval base in Portsmouth.
The project is part of the implementation of the Strategic Defense Review and, as noted by London, is a response to the 'increased activity of Russian submarines.' The British defense ministry stated that in recent weeks, the movement of the Russian reconnaissance vessel 'Yantar' has been recorded near the Kingdom's shores. British military intelligence also believes that Russia is 'modernizing its fleet for potential attacks on underwater cables and pipelines.'
According to the defense ministry, the 'Atlantic Bastion' will combine autonomous surface and underwater vehicles, artificial intelligence systems, digital infrastructure, military ships, and patrol aviation. The program will help create hybrid naval forces capable of detecting, tracking, and countering potential threats at great distances. This technology is expected to protect British submarines in the North Atlantic.
£14 million ($10.5 million) has already been invested in the development and testing of anti-submarine sensors as part of the program, with a private-to-public investment ratio of 4:1, the British defense ministry explained. 26 companies from the UK and Europe participated in the competition, of which 20 have already presented demonstration samples of technologies. Successful projects will move to the stage of extended testing in the coming weeks, and the deployment of the technology at sea is planned for next year.
According to Healey, the rapid progress underscores the defense industry's readiness to support the transformation of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. 'A new era of threats requires a new era of defense, and we must rapidly implement innovations at military pace to maintain an advantage on the battlefield,' he emphasized.
At the end of September, former head of the British intelligence agency MI5 (which deals with counterintelligence) Eliza Manningham-Buller stated that the United Kingdom is likely already at war with Russia. According to her, this is a different kind of war that involves cyberattacks and extensive intelligence activities.
London announced in June that the country was transitioning to a 'war readiness' mode. Additionally, the UK government announced an increase in defense production investments by £1.5 billion (about $2 billion).
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