Defence secretary Gavin Williamson announces £75m injection to Royal Navy for robot ships during Portsmouth visit

ROBOTS and autonomous mine-hunters are set to revolutionise Royal Navy operations after the Defence Secretary announced a £75m injection into pioneering new technology.
Defence secretary Gavin Williamson during a previous visit to Portsmouth Historic DockyardDefence secretary Gavin Williamson during a previous visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Defence secretary Gavin Williamson during a previous visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

During a visit to  QinetiQ’s Portsdown Technology Park today, Gavin Williamson explained the funding boost would be spent on two new autonomous mine-hunter vessels with sonars which will mean better speed and accuracy as well as putting sailors less at risk.

It will also fund a new joint military and industry hi-tech accelerator, NavyX allowing the testing, assessing and purchasing new equipment.

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Mr Williamson said: ‘Today’s announcement will not only allow the Royal Navy to rapidly harness dynamic, cutting-edge equipment at speed, but also ensure they can outpace adversaries both on the water and the sea floor.

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‘Technology is moving faster than ever, and with the defence landscape rapidly evolving, we must ensure our Armed Forces are continually pushing the boundaries at the forefront of this change.’

The autonomous mine-hunters will improve current capability and ensure the Royal Navy can evolve to meet developing underwater threats.

Admiral Sir Philip Jones KCB ADC DL, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, said: ‘From the invention of the steam catapult and aircraft carrier, to the first use of sonars and torpedoes, the Royal Navy has a strong pedigree in the development, testing and introduction of new technologies that help us keep our country safe.

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‘Across the generations, our willingness to embrace innovation has kept us one step ahead of our adversaries, and to assure our continued success on operations into the future it is vital that the Royal Navy continues to be equipped with the latest cutting-edge capabilities we need to address the rapidly evolving challenges that pose a threat to our national interests around the globe.’

More than 50 of the world’s state-of-the-art autonomous vehicles, vessels and drones were on display at the technology park, which is building the UK Centre of Excellence for Maritime Mission Systems.

It comes after Mr Williamson announced the first of the three Royal Navy Defence Transformation Fund programmes, an accelerated Concept and Development Phase for two new Littoral Strike Ships, in February.