The Royal Navy are set to spend £150million on underwater drones amid the growing threat from Vladimir Putin.
It is understood the drones will be used to find mines in conflict zones abroad as well as any suspicious activity in UK waters.
The Ministry of Defence will first buy up to 24 vessels, although the newly-advertised contract suggests more may be purchased later on.
Although it is not currently known what type of drone the Navy are searching for, various vessels from small underwater gliders to larger, uncrewed submarine-like devices have been tested.
The contract appears to say each drone could cost up to £6million, according to The Telegraph.
The drones would be purchased as part of the Navy’s mine hunting capability programme, which traditionally has involved crewed ships.
These manned vessels were fitted with high-definition sonar for detection while divers or remotely-controlled vehicles were used for defusing bombs.
However, drones are now being introduced to complete the task as most of the UK’s mine-clearing ships are set to be retired this decade.
The ‘Excalibur’ submarine (pictured) has been tested by the Royal Marine as an uncrewed vessel
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ROYAL NAVY
A defence source said: “Whether it’s hunting down deadly mines left by Putin’s forces or catching hostile activity near critical infrastructure, underwater drones are a vital part of modern warfare.
“We’re calling on the defence sector to bring their best innovations to ensure Royal Navy sailors have the most advanced underwater technology ready to deploy from the North Sea to Nato operations.
“This is putting the UK at the leading edge of defence innovation and delivering on our strategic defence review.”
It is believed the drones will primarily be used to find underwater mines in conflict zones.
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The Military of Defence has said the drones could be used to find mines left by Vladimir Putin and his forces
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GETTYMines have been used extensively in the war between Russia and Ukraine, especially in the Black Sea.
However, British and Nato waters will also be patrolled by the drones in order to monitor the seabed for suspicious activity.
Last year, Nato forces were set on high alert after a series of cable and gas pipeline outages in the Baltic Sea.
It was later revealed that these incidents were believed to have been connected with an oil tanker thought to be linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet”.
The Royal Navy is increasing its use of uncrewed vessels because they are more precise and quicker
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ROYAL NAVY
Numerous uncrewed vessel, including underwater drones and those which float, have been trialled as part of the Royal Navy’s switch to a “hybrid fleet”.
The “Excalibur” submarine drone, which was developed by Plymouth-based MSubs, is among the vessel tested, as are the autonomous underwater gliders developed by Anglo-German start-up Helsing.
According to the Ministry of Defence, uncrewed vessels are “quicker and provide greater precision than crewed mine hunting vessels”.
The Navy’s mine hunting fleet will have a “mothership”, the HMS Stirling Castle, as well as various uncrewed vessels.
