A new £90 million framework agreement aims to secure North Atlantic shipping lanes and critical undersea infrastructure from growing Russian maritime threats, Naval News reported.
The Ministry of Defence announced the initiative on November 10, 2026, during the International Sea Power Conference in Oslo, Norway. Hampshire-based company Ocean Infinity Solutions will build and operate the high-tech surveillance network, known as Atlantic Net, for the Royal Navy.
Building the Atlantic Bastion
Atlantic Net forms the initial phase of the Royal Navy’s broader Atlantic Bastion programme. This overarching effort seeks to forge a hybrid naval force combining crewed warships with uncrewed vessels, fulfilling a key recommendation of the Strategic Defence Review.
The network will deploy advanced sensors and uncrewed autonomous systems to patrol the depths of the North Atlantic. These platforms will gather underwater intelligence and feed real-time data back to conventional submarine-hunting surface ships and Astute-class submarines, providing crews with earlier warnings of hostile activity.
According to Navy Lookout, the arrangement establishes a contractor-owned, contractor-operated naval oversight service, with the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap serving as an early operational focus. Ocean Infinity completed delivery of its 14-ship Armada fleet in December 2025, utilizing its experience in commercial seabed survey work to support the new defence framework.
Modernizing Naval Capabilities Supports Domestic Enterprise and Jobs
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard emphasized the dual benefit of modernizing naval capabilities while supporting domestic enterprise. The investment will support nearly 200 new skilled jobs within Ocean Infinity Solutions and its immediate supply chain.
This industrial boost builds on the 38,700 jobs in South East England directly supported by Ministry of Defence spending with industry. The initiative also aligns with broader regional cooperation, following a bilateral defense agreement signed by Britain and Norway in December 2025 to bolster joint anti-submarine operations.
JUST IN: 🇬🇧 UK invests £90 million in autonomous drones, underwater sensors, and AI to detect Russian submarines and protect critical undersea cables and energy networks across the North Atlantic.
The urgency behind the hybrid fleet expansion stems from heightened operational friction in northern waters. In April 2026, British military assets tracked three Russian submarines—including an Akula-class attack submarine and two specialised vessels belonging to GUGI, Russia’s Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research—operating near critical undersea cables and pipelines.
Embracing the Hybrid Fleet
First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins strongly defended the military’s pivot toward uncrewed integration during the Oslo conference. Addressing critics who argue the technology is not yet ready or that the military is moving too fast, Jenkins rejected the caution outright.
“We can’t afford to be in that position,” Jenkins stated, stressing that instability demands immediate adaptation. “We have to embrace what is available to us now, because if we find ourselves against an opponent who has done so and we have not, we will lose.”
Alongside the Ocean Infinity agreement, the Royal Navy has contracted Saab to integrate lightweight Giraffe 1X drone-detection radars into its uncrewed fleet. These sensors have undergone initial trials aboard the K3 Scout, a vessel assigned to the Portsmouth-based 1st Autonomous Squadron commissioned on November 5, 2026.
Atlantic Net, the first phase of the UK’s Atlantic Bastion program, will make the North Atlantic Ocean transparent and a nightmare for hostile submarines. It will deliver new drones, sensors and AI systems to protect undersea cables and energy networks. pic.twitter.com/zYEtWhNK3i
As the UK and its NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force allies work to safeguard energy networks and communication cables from sabotage, Atlantic Net is scheduled to become fully operational by 2027.
