>The Navy is testing fleets of robotic sailboats the size of bicycles to hunt for Russian nuclear submarines.
>The Oshen C-Star, which is 4ft long and weighs about 50kg, is in very early trial stages with the Ministry of Defence.
>If successful, the drones could soon become the Navy’s new “eyes and ears”, using their sensors to detect Russia’s new Yasen-M class nuclear submarines, which at 430ft long and 13,000 tonnes are more than 100 times their size.
>Developers of the Oshen C-Star envisage “picket lines” of 1,000 eco-boats – powered by wind and solar energy – being deployed in the strategic area between Iceland, Greenland and Britain.
>The drones would be able to support the Navy’s eight new Type 26 submarine-hunting frigates, which are set to join the fleet in the 2030s.
>Britain is testing a number of drones as part of the Atlantic Bastion concept, which is seeking to develop a future fleet of hundreds of unmanned vessels and submarines that can support traditional warships in deterring hostile states.
>Anahita Laverack, 25, the co-founder of drone firm Oshen, said: “We could be the early warning system, peppering the area with this long-endurance monitoring system.
>“When we hear something, these tiny little robots will then pass that message along. We could be the first line of defence … the eyes and ears in the sea.”
>Mrs Laverack, an Imperial College London aeronautical engineering graduate, set up Oshen three years ago with Ciaran Dowds, 26, her business partner, and said they could deliver technology to protect the nation.
>She said: “The world that myself and my co-founder grew up in feels like it’s changed. If I have the skills to help, if I’m going to put in an intense amount of work that has a generational impact – that’s the best way to protect our country’s long-term future.”
>Navy chiefs have already voiced their fears about the number of Russian warships and submarines encroaching on UK waters, with incidents up by 30 per cent in 2025.
>In November, the suspected Russian spy ship the Yantar was spotted lurking in waters north of Scotland. The vessel’s crew sparked outrage after allegedly firing laser beams into the eyes of RAF pilots sent to monitor them.
>Weeks later, the Navy had to deploy a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship to shadow a Russian submarine as it cruised through the Channel.
>The C-Stars, developed in Plymouth, have already proved their mettle in collecting environmental data, becoming the first uncrewed boat to successfully capture and transmit data from the heart of a Category 5 hurricane.
>Five of the vessels were stationed in a picket line about 200 miles north of Saint Thomas Island in the Caribbean as part of a research project with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to intercept Hurricane Humberto in September.
>Three of the boats sailed straight into the eye of the storm, surviving gusts of 173mph and 30m swells before sending back data on air pressure, wind speed, humidity and heat at the ocean surface.
>She said: “It’s basically impossible to spot. Looking in a heavy sea state from 300m away, they will be incredibly difficult to see. But from a mile you would never spot them.”
>General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the head of the Navy, warned that Britain was “struggling” to contain the Russian threat and urged more money to be invested to bolster the nation’s defences.
>He warned in a speech in December: “We are holding on, but not by much. There is no room for complacency. Our would-be opponents are investing billions. We have to step up, or we will lose that advantage and we cannot let that happen.”
>John Healey, the Defence Secretary, added that the “pioneering Atlantic Bastion programme is a blueprint for the future of the Royal Navy”.
Seems like a relatively low cost way to deploy sensors.
And Kudos to the Telegraph for delivering on the “4ft boats” unlike the Sun who seem to think a 4.5 inch gun is the size of a toothbrush.
Emperors-Peace on
Awaiting someone saying “Hurry durr when are these going to stop the boats… Huuuurrrrrr”
Appropriate-Divide64 on
Autonomous drones are the future of naval warfare, it makes sense to go this way. Huge battleships are sitting ducks to them.
Pollutiondullsky on
Seeing as the Russian navy can’t even operate against a country with no naval vessels I’m not concerned about “russian subs” attacking the UK what a joke.
Aircraft carriers that can’t operate in open water without catching fire, missile cruisers that can’t intercept drones, crushers that can’t sail out of port, subs sat in the open with no radar coverage the Russian navy is beyond pathetic.
NotJacobMurphy on
Didn’t a country with no navy blow up their flagship so you boats sounds about right
8 Comments
>The Navy is testing fleets of robotic sailboats the size of bicycles to hunt for Russian nuclear submarines.
>The Oshen C-Star, which is 4ft long and weighs about 50kg, is in very early trial stages with the Ministry of Defence.
>If successful, the drones could soon become the Navy’s new “eyes and ears”, using their sensors to detect Russia’s new Yasen-M class nuclear submarines, which at 430ft long and 13,000 tonnes are more than 100 times their size.
>Developers of the Oshen C-Star envisage “picket lines” of 1,000 eco-boats – powered by wind and solar energy – being deployed in the strategic area between Iceland, Greenland and Britain.
>The drones would be able to support the Navy’s eight new Type 26 submarine-hunting frigates, which are set to join the fleet in the 2030s.
>Britain is testing a number of drones as part of the Atlantic Bastion concept, which is seeking to develop a future fleet of hundreds of unmanned vessels and submarines that can support traditional warships in deterring hostile states.
>Anahita Laverack, 25, the co-founder of drone firm Oshen, said: “We could be the early warning system, peppering the area with this long-endurance monitoring system.
>“When we hear something, these tiny little robots will then pass that message along. We could be the first line of defence … the eyes and ears in the sea.”
>Mrs Laverack, an Imperial College London aeronautical engineering graduate, set up Oshen three years ago with Ciaran Dowds, 26, her business partner, and said they could deliver technology to protect the nation.
>She said: “The world that myself and my co-founder grew up in feels like it’s changed. If I have the skills to help, if I’m going to put in an intense amount of work that has a generational impact – that’s the best way to protect our country’s long-term future.”
>Navy chiefs have already voiced their fears about the number of Russian warships and submarines encroaching on UK waters, with incidents up by 30 per cent in 2025.
>In November, the suspected Russian spy ship the Yantar was spotted lurking in waters north of Scotland. The vessel’s crew sparked outrage after allegedly firing laser beams into the eyes of RAF pilots sent to monitor them.
>Weeks later, the Navy had to deploy a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship to shadow a Russian submarine as it cruised through the Channel.
>The C-Stars, developed in Plymouth, have already proved their mettle in collecting environmental data, becoming the first uncrewed boat to successfully capture and transmit data from the heart of a Category 5 hurricane.
>Five of the vessels were stationed in a picket line about 200 miles north of Saint Thomas Island in the Caribbean as part of a research project with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to intercept Hurricane Humberto in September.
>Three of the boats sailed straight into the eye of the storm, surviving gusts of 173mph and 30m swells before sending back data on air pressure, wind speed, humidity and heat at the ocean surface.
>She said: “It’s basically impossible to spot. Looking in a heavy sea state from 300m away, they will be incredibly difficult to see. But from a mile you would never spot them.”
>General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the head of the Navy, warned that Britain was “struggling” to contain the Russian threat and urged more money to be invested to bolster the nation’s defences.
>He warned in a speech in December: “We are holding on, but not by much. There is no room for complacency. Our would-be opponents are investing billions. We have to step up, or we will lose that advantage and we cannot let that happen.”
>John Healey, the Defence Secretary, added that the “pioneering Atlantic Bastion programme is a blueprint for the future of the Royal Navy”.
I think this already exists: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOSUS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOSUS)
Seems like a relatively low cost way to deploy sensors.
And Kudos to the Telegraph for delivering on the “4ft boats” unlike the Sun who seem to think a 4.5 inch gun is the size of a toothbrush.
Awaiting someone saying “Hurry durr when are these going to stop the boats… Huuuurrrrrr”
Autonomous drones are the future of naval warfare, it makes sense to go this way. Huge battleships are sitting ducks to them.
Seeing as the Russian navy can’t even operate against a country with no naval vessels I’m not concerned about “russian subs” attacking the UK what a joke.
Aircraft carriers that can’t operate in open water without catching fire, missile cruisers that can’t intercept drones, crushers that can’t sail out of port, subs sat in the open with no radar coverage the Russian navy is beyond pathetic.
Didn’t a country with no navy blow up their flagship so you boats sounds about right
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