Royal Navy Announces £90m Atlantic Net Plan to Monitor Russian Submarines

The Royal Navy is to receive £90 million of investment for an undersea surveillance network intended to detect hostile submarines and help protect cables and energy links in the North Atlantic.

Illustration of Atlantic Net undersea surveillance with an unmanned vessel, submarine, sensors and £90m investment headline

The Ministry of Defence announced the plan on 10 November 2026, naming the system Atlantic Net and selecting Hampshire-based Ocean Infinity Solutions as its commercial mission partner. The government says the arrangement will support almost 200 new skilled jobs, but the full network is not yet in service. The MOD announcement describes a framework intended to deliver new capability.

What is Atlantic Net?

Atlantic Net is the first operational component of Atlantic Bastion, a wider Royal Navy programme combining crewed warships and submarines with uncrewed vessels, underwater sensors, data systems and artificial intelligence. It is intended to provide more persistent surveillance across large areas of the North Atlantic.

Under the plan, information from sensors and remotely operated or autonomous systems would be brought together into a Royal Navy-directed surveillance service. That could give anti-submarine warships and Astute-class submarines earlier warning of suspicious activity. The network is intended to complement existing naval forces, not replace them.

The Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) gap is an important focus. It is a strategic passage between the northern seas and the wider Atlantic. Reporting from the Oslo defence conference says the first sensors are expected to include coverage of this area.

Is Atlantic Net already operational?

Not as a completed surveillance network. The MOD’s announcement concerns a £90 million investment framework and equipment to be delivered. A separate Royal Navy announcement on 10 November says the first phase is expected to begin operating within months. Defence conference reporting points to initial sensors going into the water in 2027, with a broader system envisaged over approximately two years.

That is different from saying the Navy has no autonomous systems in use. In September 2026 it reported a 64-day deployment of five ocean gliders gathering information around the British Isles. It has also tested anti-submarine sensors, sonar-equipped autonomous boats and gliders in NATO exercises. The Navy explicitly described some of those trial systems as not yet formally adopted. Existing oceanographic data collection and experimental anti-submarine equipment should not be mistaken for a completed Atlantic Net.

Why are undersea cables and submarines a security concern?

Subsea communications cables and energy infrastructure connect the UK to international networks. Damage could disrupt communications and essential services. Underwater activity is difficult to monitor across the vast North Atlantic, making early detection a central goal of the new programme.

UK officials have warned about Russian naval and intelligence activity around critical infrastructure, including the vessel Yantar, and say Russian submarine capabilities are developing. These are the government’s stated security assessments, not proof that any particular cable incident was caused by Russia. Reuters reported that Moscow has denied allegations concerning hostile underwater activity.

The MOD says Atlantic Net is also intended to support protection of the UK’s nuclear deterrent and improve surveillance alongside NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force partners.

Which Hampshire company is involved?

Ocean Infinity Solutions is the contractor named by the MOD. Its wider Ocean Infinity group operates maritime robotics, remote vessel operations, underwater sensing and data services. The company has a Southampton base in Woolston, where it operates engineering and remote-operations functions.

In its 10 November statement, Ocean Infinity confirmed its selection as the Royal Navy’s commercial mission partner. It said the programme will draw on specialist partners and is intended to create a sustained undersea surveillance service.

How many jobs will be created?

The MOD says the framework will support almost 200 new skilled jobs and its immediate supply chain. That is a government projection linked to the investment, not confirmation that 200 people have already been hired. The announcement does not provide a precise breakdown of direct jobs at Ocean Infinity, subcontractor posts or the dates on which recruitment will be completed.

Ocean Infinity’s Southampton operation is therefore a significant local element of the deal, although it would be misleading to say every projected job will be based in Hampshire.

What happens next?

The immediate test is delivery: the contract framework, deployment of the first operational sensors, integration with Navy systems and evidence that the network provides the promised persistent surveillance. The precise equipment mix, rollout timetable and final employment numbers have not yet been publicly detailed.

For now, £90 million is the announced investment and Atlantic Net is the capability being built. The Royal Navy’s existing drone trials and oceanographic operations show relevant experience, but they do not establish that the full submarine-monitoring network has already been deployed.

Sources

Follow this story: Atlantic Bastion developments.