UK tests underwater drone for communications protection
The United Kingdom has tested an unmanned vehicle for underwater cables and pipelines protection from damage by enemies.
This was reported by the press service of the British government.
This project is being implemented by the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) of the British Ministry of Defense.
The laboratory’s specialists, together with industry partners, have added systems to a commercially available remote-controlled vehicle that allow it to detect ammunition and explosive devices and neutralize them by placing explosive charges and then detonating them.
According to the DSTL the drone should help in the fight against sabotage and the disposal of obsolete unexploded ordnance that pose a threat to underwater communications, divers and ships involved in their disposal.
The drone’s tools, sensors, and cameras provide operators with the ability to effectively deal with underwater hazards in real time.
The device can operate at depths greater than those reached by divers and stay there for much longer.
A commercially available underwater robot adapted by @Dstlmod could soon help the @RoyalNavy protect sailors and vital undersea cables
A number of systems enable operators to remotely detect unexploded ordinance and place explosive charges to safely deal with underwater hazards. pic.twitter.com/MRnAJKh6iQ — Ministry of Defence ???????? (@DefenceHQ) June 9, 2025
The newly developed technologies and systems will work in conjunction with other underwater vehicles to scan the seabed for hazards and will be able to deal with them once they are detected.
The remotely operated vehicle that will have passed the test can be launched from a ship or shore and its actions can be controlled by receiving video and data from its sonar. It can be used at least several times, which provides economic benefits.
In addition to several regions in the UK, this underwater drone has also been tested in Norwegian waters.
Protecting submarine communication and electricity cables, as well as underwater pipelines, has become a major challenge for many countries in recent years.
This is due to a series of sabotage attacks on undersea communications, particularly in the Baltic Sea, which are likely to have been carried out by Russian intelligence services.
Source: Militarnyi
