To counter Russia in the Atlantic: Great Britain will build “hybrid” ships with drones

The UK is planning to build at least six advanced “hybrid” vessels equipped with drones. The new ships will be used to counter Russian activity in the North Atlantic, protect underwater infrastructure and strengthen NATO’s deterrence.

This is reported by the BBC .

The UK Ministry of Defence has announced that the country has abandoned its previous plan to replace aging warships and will instead build at least 6 new “hybrid” vessels equipped with drones.

The department said the new ships would better meet the “pace and nature of modern warfare” and would be a more cost-effective investment than “a small number of large, expensive ships.” Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis said the project would also take into account the growing threats facing the military.

The new approach to the development of the UK Navy is expected to increase the fleet’s “reach, resilience and firepower” without significantly increasing crew numbers or costs.

The new vessels are planned to be used to perform the following tasks:

• countering Russian activities in the North Atlantic;
• protection of underwater infrastructure;
• strengthening NATO deterrence.

The British government has not yet disclosed the amount of funding for the program. However, it is reported that the delivery of the new ships is planned for the 2030s.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously said that the UK’s defense investment plan would be published before the NATO summit in Turkey, which is scheduled for July 7.

Recall that the United Kingdom is developing new long-range missiles for Ukraine , which will not contain American components and could enter service within a year. According to sources, the new systems will be cheaper than Storm Shadow missiles and will have a range of over 500 kilometers.

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