Royal Navy battles 'highest Russian activity' in North Atlantic in 30 years with new 'autonomous' underwater vehicle

First Sea Lord Admiral Tony Radakin today unveiled the purchase of the underwater vehicle from Plymouth-based MSubs Ltd.

It comes as Portsmouth-based Royal Navy vessel HMS Tyne shadowed the Russian vessel Smolnyy Perekov in the English Channel in December.

Speaking at the Underwater Defence and Security Conference in Southampton, Adm Radakin said: ‘For my entire career we have been talking about oceans becoming transparent.

‘And yet they remain opaque. We continually horizon scan, analyse new developments, look at the capabilities that we and our adversaries possess – and there is nothing.

‘On the land, in the air, increasingly even at sea, there is nowhere left to hide. But underwater remains impenetrable.

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‘This is good for us. The Royal Navy has the huge responsibility of delivering the nuclear deterrent on behalf of the nation, and still the cheapest, most secure and most effective means of doing this is by submarine.

‘Last year, we celebrated 50 years of continuous at sea deterrence. That is a remarkable achievement. And I am delighted that this will continue, with the Dreadnought replacement for the Vanguard-class submarines already under construction.

‘In 2019 we saw the highest Russian activity in the North Atlantic for over 30 years. Submarines are getting quieter, more capable and harder to detect.’

Adm Radakin highlighted spending on Dreadnought-class submarines, the Type 26 and 31 frigates, and the P8 Poseidon aircraft.

He said: ‘We are growing for the first time in 70 years.

‘And between 2015 and 2025 our tonnage will increase by nearly 30 per cent.

‘The world is changing at a startling rate, and technology and innovation are moving faster than they ever have before.

‘We need to remain ahead of our adversaries. This is why the Royal Navy is currently undergoing a period of transformation.

‘We are focusing on five main areas: increasing our operational advantage in the North Atlantic, becoming a carrier strike navy, increasing our forward presence, modernising our Royal Marines into a future commando force, and embracing technology and Innovation in a much better way.

‘And you will recognise that two of these – the North Atlantic, and technology and innovation – are closely linked with the underwater domain.’

On the purchase of the new vehicle, which has a range of up to 3,000 nautical miles, Adm Radakin said: ‘I am really excited by the possibilities that this offers to increase our reach and lethality, improve our efficiency and reduce the number of people we have to put in harm’s way.’