Overview
- The programme will connect ships, submarines, aircraft and unmanned platforms through AI-powered acoustic sensors in a digital targeting web to detect, track and, if required, act against threats.
- Initial seed funding totals £14 million from the MoD and industry, with private investment matching public money at roughly a 4:1 ratio, and 26 firms submitting sensor proposals alongside 20 technology demonstrators.
- Senior naval leaders cite a roughly 30% increase in Russian vessel activity in UK and North Atlantic waters over two years, with the First Sea Lord warning the UK's long-held Atlantic advantage is at risk.
- Recent movements by the Russian intelligence ship Yantar, including a reported laser incident against RAF patrol aircraft, were highlighted as evidence of the threat to cables and pipelines.
- Positioned as an early deliverable of the Strategic Defence Review, Atlantic Bastion aligns with growing UK–Norway cooperation and is designed to operate from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the Norwegian Sea.