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UK Royal Navy orders crewless submarine to project subsea infrastructure

By: Tom Russell 01/12/2022 Royal Navy

Cables General

The Royal Navy today (1 December 2022) ordered its first crewless submarine which it claims will shape the future of underwater warfare.

According to The Royal Navy, in two years’ time Cetus – named after a mythological sea monster – will be deployed to monitor hostile activity, listening out for ships or submarines which may pose a threat to the Fleet, or to key national infrastructure such as deep-sea cables and pipelines.

The £15.4m Cetus is to be the length of a bus, it will be the largest and most complex crewless submersible operated by European navies, designed and built specially for the Royal Navy by Plymouth-based tech firm MSubs.

Funded by the Anti-Submarine Warfare Spearhead programme, run by the Royal Navy’s “Develop Directorate” from their Headquarters in Portsmouth and delivered through the Submarine Delivery Agency in Bristol, this is the latest in a series of underwater technologies being brought to life to deal with the threats of the next decade.

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key said: "This is a hugely exciting moment for Project Cetus as the Royal Navy surges ahead with the development of autonomous technology.

“This Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle is a capability step-change in our mission to dominate the underwater battle space. And I am delighted that the project is able to support a small, innovative UK company which is at the cutting edge of this sector.”

At 12m long and 2.2m in diameter, the 17 ton submarine can fit inside a shipping container. The unarmed battery-powered craft will be able to dive deeper than any vessel in the current submarine fleet and cover up to 1,000 miles in a single mission.

Acting as an operational demonstrator, the goal is for Cetus – and its successors – to work side-by-side with traditional crewed submarines, such as the current Astute-class hunter-killers, or independently.

The crewless submarine is the latest step taken by the Royal Navy into the world of autonomy. Autonomous minehunting systems are already operating in Scotland, driverless Pacific 24 sea boats are undergoing testing, numerous aerial drones are employed by ships both for reconnaissance/intelligence gathering and target practice for air defence.

And the Navy has invested in a dedicated tech trials ship, XV Patrick Blackett, to assess this new equipment and help determine how it might be used or integrated into the Fleet.

Cetus will do the same for the Silent Service, explained Lieutenant Commander Andrew Witts.

“One hundred and twenty years ago the Royal Navy had the foresight to invest in Holland I – the UK’s first submarine – which helped revolutionise naval warfare above and below the waves,” said Witts. “Cetus is our first venture into large-scale, uncrewed submarines. It’s exciting, the possibilities are enormous, and I like to think Cetus could change the way we fight under the sea as much as those pioneers in Holland I did.”

Tensions are running high in the subsea cable industry with the safety and integrity of both subsea power and fibre optic cable links across Europe becoming an increasing concern. It follows suspected sabotage of the Nordstream pipeline.

Since the attack on Nord Stream, there has an been an increase in efforts to ensure the integrity and security of the UK's network of subsea infrastructure. Ben Wallace, UK Secretary of State for Defence, announced in October that the UK government plans to purchase two vessels to protect subsea cables and pipelines. Last year, the Ministry of Defence revealed it had plans to develop a new Multi Role Ocean Surveillance ship (MROSS) to protect the UK against hostile actors and grow its understanding of maritime threats. The ship, which was originally expected come into service by 2024, will be a surface vessel hosting with a crew of around 15 people who will conduct research to help the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence protect the UK's undersea national infrastructure.

Further to the Royal Navy's order of the crewless submarine, it was also revealed today (1 December 2022) that the Norwegian Prime Minister and German Chancellor proposed a NATO surveillance centre for subsea infrastructure.

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UK Royal Navy orders crewless submarine to project subsea infrastructure

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