The UK has announced a £90 million Royal Navy anti-submarine drone investment to expand Atlantic Net with new drones, sensors and AI systems. The framework with Ocean Infinity Solutions is due to be signed today at the International Sea Power Conference in Oslo, Norway.
The package is aimed at helping the Royal Navy detect Russian submarines earlier and build a clearer picture of activity beneath the surface in the North Atlantic. It will also strengthen protection for crucial shipping routes and undersea infrastructure.
Ocean Infinity Solutions framework
Ocean Infinity Solutions will be the British company in the framework. Atlantic Net is set to create a network of autonomous systems across the North Atlantic, with advanced sensors and uncrewed systems patrolling the depths and hunting threats.
The system is designed to give submarine-hunting warships and Astute-class submarines a single surveillance service. That service is expected to provide earlier warning of threats and a clearer picture of what is happening below the surface.
Atlantic Bastion programme
The framework forms part of the Royal Navy’s wider Atlantic Bastion programme. That programme is intended to build a hybrid naval force of crewed and uncrewed vessels, and the Strategic Defence Review described it as a key recommendation.
The announcement says the investment will help the Royal Navy find threats earlier, protect critical infrastructure, back British business and support deterrence under the sea, including the ultimate nuclear deterrent.
North Atlantic surveillance
The new network answers a specific gap: Russian undersea threats are the stated reason for the spending, but the announcement does not set out how large or immediate that threat is. What is clear is that the Royal Navy is being given a broader sensor-and-drone layer before crews have to rely on one set of eyes alone.
For the Royal Navy, the practical change is earlier warning and wider surveillance across the North Atlantic. For everyone who depends on undersea routes and infrastructure, the next step is the signing of the framework today, which starts the move from announcement to delivery.
