2 hours ago

The United Kingdom will deploy a fleet of autonomous drones to counter Russia’s interference in its waters

Gabriel Dumitrache

9 November 2026, 11:22

International

Foto: Shutterstock

Always see our news on Google

The Royal Navy of Great Britain will deploy, for the first time, a fleet of autonomous vessels in British waters, in response to Russia’s increasing interference and the changing nature of military threats. Operations could begin before the end of the year.

The announcement was made by Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse, head of the Royal Navy fleet, who told The Times that the drones would be used “as soon as possible”. According to him, such vessels can monitor Russian ships without the Navy having to mobilize frigates or patrol vessels.

The new squadron was officially launched on Thursday in Portsmouth and will be divided into two rotating groups, so that missions can be carried out continuously. The vessels are 8.4 metres long, can reach 55 knots and can remain at sea for up to 30 days.

The initiative is part of a plan to develop a “hybrid navy” that combines traditional ships with autonomous systems. London has allocated £1.5 billion for this programme over the next four years. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the investment aims to rapidly deploy new technologies to protect British coasts and NATO allies.

Context: London has intensified warnings about the threat from Russia and launched measures to counter the information war

Before the announcement regarding the use of autonomous technologies, British officials raised alarm over Russia and the risk of war for the United Kingdom. British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that Russia and Vladimir Putin represent “the greatest threat” and argued that the country faces “the greatest risk of war” of his lifetime, citing the constant testing of the defence capabilities of the United Kingdom and NATO.

During the same period, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced at the UN the establishment of a National Centre for Information Defence, intended to combat Russian information warfare and deepfakes, with the mission of identifying and countering online lies, fake websites, bots, and fabricated materials. Burnham said that Russian agencies would also use artificial intelligence to amplify the threat and indicated annual spending of approximately £1.3 billion on information manipulation.