The Times: Britain's Secret Sensor Weapon 'hunts' Russian Submarines
- 14.05.2025, 9:59
These weapons are so cheap that they can be deployed in a grid of thousands in the waters.
The British Navy has a secret sensor weapon to hunt Russian submarines. Artificial intelligence technology developed to track whales will now work on marine drones to protect British waters from threats, writes The Times.
The British military and intelligence services have thousands of magnetic tapes recorded over 56 years. These tapes contain unique acoustic signatures of enemy ships and submarines. They were collected by the Royal Navy's hydroacoustic specialists - "submarine hunters".
Today, thanks to the rapid development of technology, these archival data can be integrated into the latest Lura system - a product of the European defense company Helsing. The system can literally "illuminate" the ocean, making underwater threats visible to defense officials.
Lura: an underwater "constellation" of surveillance
The system is based on SG-1 Fathom autonomous mini-submarines with built-in sensors that can stay underwater for up to three months. They glide silently through the water without propellers and analyze sounds using artificial intelligence.
"Lura detects so our fleets can deter threats. We must use new technologies to keep pace with threats to our critical infrastructure, national waters and way of life," said Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of Helsing.
Detection and Identification
The system is able to distinguish even ships of the same class by slight differences in their acoustic signature. Lura automatically classifies the sounds of submarines, tankers, passenger ships and even "shadow fleet" vessels - Russian tankers trying to evade sanctions.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of such gliders could be deployed across the ocean. They could be deployed, for example, in the strategic GIUK region - between Greenland, Iceland and Britain - to monitor the passage into the Atlantic.
"When they hear something - a Russian submarine or any unusual noise - they surface and send a signal. One won't make a difference, but they're so cheap you can deploy hundreds or thousands. They (enemies) will think twice before breaking through," explained Neal Cartwright, Helsing's chief technology expert.
Protecting Critical Infrastructure
Security concerns have increased after recent incidents involving damaged undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. In November, Defense Secretary John Gili even allowed a British attack submarine to get close to the Russian reconnaissance vessel Yantar, suspecting it of spying near communications cables.
The Lura system ushers in a new era in underwater surveillance - autonomous, accurate and responsive. Thanks to acoustic analysis and artificial intelligence, the navy gains the ability to respond to threats almost instantly, without relying solely on human intuition.