Britain will acquire a fleet of underwater drones for minehunting as part of a £150m upgrade of the Royal Navy amid growing threats from Russia.
The cutting-edge vessels could be used for clearing mines in conflict zones such as the Black Sea, off the coast of Ukraine, or protecting underwater cables and gas pipelines from sabotage, The Telegraph understands.
Up to 24 will initially be acquired by the Ministry of Defence, though more could potentially be ordered on top of this, according to a newly-advertised contract.
It was not immediately clear what type of drone defence officials were seeking, at a time when the Navy has been trialling various devices from small underwater gliders to larger, uncrewed submarine-like vessels.
However, the contract’s value implies each one could cost as much as £6m each.
The purchase is being made as part of the Navy’s mine hunting capability programme.
Mine hunting has traditionally involved crewed ships equipped with high-definition sonar for detection and divers or remotely-controlled vehicles for defusing bombs.
But with the Navy set to retire most of its mine-clearing ships this decade, drones are gradually being introduced to do the job instead.
‘Leading edge of defence’
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 understood that the main focus of the drones will be to covertly detect underwater mines in conflict zones.
Extensive mine-laying has been seen in the war between Ukraine and Russia, including in the Black Sea where both sides have sought to deny each other freedom of manoeuvre.
However, the British drones will also be used to patrol UK and Nato waters for suspicious activity on the seabed.
It follows concerns about activity by Russian vessels near critical infrastructure.
Last year, Nato forces were placed on high alert following a string of cable and gas pipeline outages in the Baltic Sea. The incidents were later linked to an oil tanker that was suspected to be part of Russia’s “shadow fleet”.
The Royal Navy has been trialling various uncrewed vessels as part of its switch to a “hybrid fleet”, including both drones which float on the water and those underwater.
These include the “Excalibur” submarine drone developed by Plymouth-based MSubs and autonomous underwater gliders developed by Anglo-German start-up Helsing.
The Navy’s new mine hunting fleet will include a “mothership”, HMS Stirling Castle, coupled with various uncrewed vessels.
Uncrewed vessels are “quicker and provide greater precision than crewed mine hunting vessels”, according to the Ministry of Defence.