Royal Navy plans £90M Atlantic Net sensor and drone network to track Russian submarines
The UK Royal Navy plans to invest £90 million in a network of underwater drones, sensors and artificial intelligence to detect Russian submarines and protect undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic. The Navy announced a framework agreement with Hampshire-based Ocean Infinity Solutions for the surveillance system, called Atlantic Net, at the International Sea Power Conference in Oslo, according to Defence Industry Europe.
The Navy said the agreement was due to be signed on the day of the announcement. Atlantic Net will combine uncrewed patrols, underwater sensing and AI to spot submarines and other suspicious activity near shipping lanes, communications cables and energy networks, Defence Industry Europe reported.
The Navy will operate the network as one surveillance service that folds in maritime systems, sensing under the water, communications, remote operation and data services. According to the report, the goal is for warships that hunt submarines, along with Astute-class boats, to get warning of threats sooner and a better view of activity beneath the waves.
The Armada 86 06 robotic vessel, a platform from Ocean Infinity. Photo: Ocean Infinity
Militarnyi, citing the UK Ministry of Defence, said data from the various autonomous surface and underwater platforms will be fed into a single system where AI analyses it. It said Atlantic Net is scheduled to become operational in 2027 and described it as the first operational component of the wider Atlantic Bastion programme.
Militarnyi said the system will rest on a network of autonomous surface and underwater platforms carrying sensors. These platforms are meant to patrol designated areas of the North Atlantic, detect submarines and watch for suspicious activity near communication cables and energy infrastructure. Artificial intelligence will help analyse the combined data, the outlet reported.
“Imagine a network of modern sensors, hydroacoustic systems, and autonomous platforms stretching across the area between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom,”
Part of a wider defence plan
Atlantic Net forms part of Atlantic Bastion, a Navy concept for crewed and uncrewed vessels operating side by side, a direction the UK's Strategic Defence Review recommended, Defence Industry Europe reported. The Navy says that with NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force partners it wants to watch over a bigger area for a longer period, and to shield underwater infrastructure from interference and sabotage.
Pollard said the investment gives the Navy technology to find threats earlier and protect critical infrastructure while backing British business. He also tied it to deterrence, saying it shows the government is "getting on with the job of investing in our Armed Forces and strengthening our deterrence under the sea."
“The threats beneath the North Atlantic are changing, and we are changing with them,”
Jobs and background
The Navy said the framework would support almost 200 new skilled jobs, as well as the immediate supply chain of Ocean Infinity Solutions. Militarnyi said the company, working with specialist partners, will integrate the autonomous platforms, sensors and data processing systems.
Defence Industry Europe also noted that the Ministry of Defence's spending with industry directly sustains 38,700 jobs across South East England, the region where the Hampshire-based company operates.
Militarnyi said the Navy has been trialling a similar approach since last year, and that it reported in December 2025 on Helsing's SG-1 Fathom underwater gliders being used to monitor Russian submarines in the North Atlantic. It added that the project comes amid NATO concern over Russian submarine activity near critical maritime infrastructure.
Militarnyi also pointed to an incident in September 2026, when it said the United Kingdom, Norway and the United States disrupted Russian exercises near Svalbard. According to the outlet, the Russian side was using submarines and deep-sea vehicles to trial methods of damaging cables on the seabed.
The two outlets describe the arrangement slightly differently: Defence Industry Europe refers to a framework that would pave the way for the investment, while Militarnyi says the Navy has selected Ocean Infinity Solutions as its commercial partner.
