Britain has launched work on a new naval technology suite known as Atlantic Bastion, Defence Secretary John Healey said during a visit to the Portsmouth naval base. The initiative forms part of the country’s latest Strategic Defence Review and is framed in London as a response to what it calls increased activity by Russian submarines. Officials also pointed to recent sightings of the Russian intelligence vessel Yantar near the UK coastline and assessments by British military intelligence that Russia is modernising its fleet to potentially target undersea cables and pipelines.

According to the Ministry of Defence, Atlantic Bastion is designed as an integrated system bringing together autonomous surface and subsurface vehicles, AI-driven tools, digital networks, combat ships and maritime patrol aircraft. The goal is to forge a hybrid naval force capable of detecting, tracking and countering long-range underwater threats while reinforcing the protection of British submarines in the North Atlantic.

In 2024, the programme received £14 million ($10.5 million) for the development and testing of anti-submarine sensors. Defence officials stressed that private investment has outpaced state funding by a ratio of 4:1. Twenty-six companies from the UK and Europe took part in the competition, with twenty already presenting prototype technologies. The most promising systems will enter expanded trials in the coming weeks, with initial at-sea deployments planned for next year.

Healey said the pace of work demonstrates the defence industry’s readiness to support the transformation of the Royal Navy. He conveyed that evolving security challenges demand equally rapid innovation.

Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly stated that it poses no threat to NATO members but will not ignore actions it views as potentially harmful to its interests. Russian officials maintain that dialogue remains possible-though only on an equal footing.