At Royal Navy headquarters in Portsmouth on 8 December 2025, John Healey, the UK’s Defence Secretary, unveiled Atlantic Bastion, an ambitious, technology-driven programme intended to defend the UK and its allies against a rising tide of undersea threats, notably from Russian Navy submarines and surveillance vessels.
With Russian submarines, and even shadowy spy ships like the Yantar, increasingly prowling the depths near critical undersea infrastructure, the UK is responding with artificial intelligence, autonomous drones, and a “hybrid navy” that fuses centuries-old maritime tradition with tomorrow’s technology.
Undersea cables may not grab headlines, but they’re the invisible arteries of modern life, carrying over 95% of global internet traffic and enabling trillions of dollars in financial transactions daily.
Pipelines crisscrossing the Atlantic floor supply energy to European homes and industries. Disrupt just a few of these, and economies could falter, communications could collapse, and NATO’s collective resilience would be shaken.
UK Defence Intelligence has confirmed that Russia is actively modernising its submarine fleet with precisely these vulnerabilities in mind. The Defence Secretary didn’t mince words:
“People should be in no doubt of the new threats facing the UK and our allies under the sea, where adversaries are targeting infrastructure that is so critical to our way of life.”
Earlier this year, the Russian research vessel Yantar, long suspected of carrying out covert seabed surveillance, was spotted loitering near sensitive areas off the UK coast. NATO has repeatedly warned that such vessels may be mapping cable routes for potential sabotage.
Atlantic Bastion is the UK’s answer, a “highly advanced hybrid force” that knits together warships, maritime patrol aircraft, autonomous underwater and surface vessels, and AI-driven sensor networks into a single, responsive system.
Think of it as a digital nervous system for the ocean:
- AI-powered acoustic detection listens for the faintest hum of a diesel-electric submarine.
- Unmanned surface vessels (like robotic sentinels) patrol vast swathes of ocean 24/7.
- Autonomous submarines, such as BAE Systems’ newly revealed Herne, can operate independently or in swarms.
- All data flows into a centralised digital targeting web, enabling faster, smarter decisions—potentially cutting response times from hours to minutes.
“The SDR [Strategic Defence Review] identified the maritime domain as increasingly vulnerable, and that maritime security is a strategic imperative for the UK,” said First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins at the International Sea Power Conference in London today. “It is time to act.”
And act they are. The programme is already moving from concept to reality. £14 million in seed funding, backed by both the Ministry of Defence and private industry, has been committed this year alone.
Remarkably, private investment is matching public funds at a 4:1 ratio, a sign of deep confidence in the UK’s defence-tech ecosystem.
Twenty-six firms from the UK and Europe have submitted proposals for anti-submarine sensor development. Twenty are already showcasing working prototypes, from defence giants like BAE Systems to agile tech startups like Helsing and Anduril UK.
Scott Jamieson, Managing Director of BAE Systems Defence Solutions, highlighted the shift: “Autonomy represents a transformative opportunity to redefine how operations are conducted above and below the waves.”
Their Herne autonomous submarine and Nautomate control system aim to “scale operations in ways previously unimaginable.”
Meanwhile, Helsing, Europe’s leading defence AI firm, has opened a “Resilience Factory” in Plymouth. “We’ve demonstrated the power of advanced AI and autonomy to change the game in the underwater battlespace,” said Maritime General Manager Amelia Gould. Their goal? To help build what they call a “sea drone wall” to protect NATO’s undersea lifelines.
Anduril UK’s Dr Rich Drake put it plainly: “We are investing in British talent, in British technology and in Britain’s tomorrow.”
The economic upside is real. The global market for hybrid naval systems is projected to hit £350 billion, and the UK is positioning itself not just as a participant, but as a leader. Thousands of high-skilled jobs in AI, robotics, and maritime engineering could follow.
What’s striking about Atlantic Bastion is its pace. Capabilities are expected to be deployed in the water as early as 2026, a lightning-fast timeline by defence standards.
“We must rapidly innovate at a wartime pace,” Healey insisted, echoing a growing consensus that the era of slow procurement cycles is over. The threat isn’t waiting, and neither is the Royal Navy.
General Sir Gwyn captured the spirit: “We are a Navy that thrives when it is allowed to adapt. To evolve. We have never stood still, because the threats never do.”
The programme’s architecture, open, interoperable, and scalable, is designed to integrate seamlessly with allies. From the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the Norwegian Sea, the vision is a resilient, networked undersea defence grid that deters aggression before it escalates.
