Britain and Norway Form Joint Fleet to Monitor Russian Naval Activity
Britain and Norway launch a joint fleet to track Russian submarines and protect key infrastructure under the new Lunna House agreement in the North Atlantic.
Britain and Norway have sealed a new defense pact that will place Norwegian naval vessels under British command during missions across the northern Atlantic, where they will focus on tracking submarines of the Russian Navy.
According to the UK Ministry of Defence, the arrangement brings together a joint fleet of at least 13 warships equipped with autonomous systems. This force is tasked with monitoring Russian submarine activity and safeguarding critical infrastructure across the North Atlantic. The announcement coincided with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Store at the Lossiemouth air base in Scotland.
The ministry specified that the patrol group will include eight British and five Norwegian Type 26 frigates, all built in the UK. Their route will take them through the corridor between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, an area where they will track Russia’s naval maneuvers.
The pact, named the Lunna House agreement, also commits London to joining Norway’s program for developing unmanned minesweepers. Additionally, Britain will deploy Royal Marines for cold-weather exercises in Norway and will receive new Norwegian sea-combat missiles for its own forces.