NATO creates underwater drones against Russian submarines
The United States and its NATO allies have joined forces to create unmanned maritime systems to counter Russian submarines, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This was reported by the publication Defense News.
It is noted that the corresponding agreement was signed by 13 NATO member countries during the July NATO summit, but this became known only in the October release.
“The use of unmanned systems in the future will provide a qualitatively new breakthrough in the development of maritime technologies... These unmanned systems will increase both our situational awareness and our control over the seas,” states a statement from countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Britain and the USA.
It is noted that this document is a kind of plan for the implementation of joint activities to develop technologies that make it possible to detect underwater mines and submarines.
The statement notes that such work will be carried out in parallel in all countries that have signed the joint plan. This will also create competition between companies that are engaged in similar developments.
“This initiative will allow the allies to use their vast economic opportunities to reduce costs and, as a result, further increase their defense spending (due to the savings achieved - ed.),” the statement said.
Atlantic Council senior fellow Jorge Benitez said the agreement indicates that NATO is taking the growing threat from Russian submarines seriously.
“NATO members are concerned about the growing threat from Russian submarines and are investing more resources to deal with it... This new multinational cooperation on underwater drones is the latest example that NATO is taking the Russian threat in the North Atlantic much more seriously than during the last quarter century,” he said.
The agreement also indicates that NATO countries are giving a much larger role to maritime unmanned systems in countering new, more advanced and silent submarines.
NATO is developing underwater drones to counter Russian submarines.