LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) – Britain said on Tuesday it would spend £90 million ($121 million) on drones, sensors and artificial intelligence systems to help the Royal Navy counter Russian undersea threats in the North Atlantic and protect critical infrastructure.
• New network of autonomous systems equipped with advanced sensors will create a unified surveillance capability to improve the detection and monitoring of submarine activity
• Western officials have warned Russia has increased activity around subsea infrastructure
• In April, Britain said it had deployed military vessels to deter Russian submarines who it said had spent more than a month in and around British waters, warning Moscow that any attempt to damage cables or pipelines would have “serious consequences”
• Russia has denied the allegations
• NATO allies have strengthened surveillance of cables and pipelines in recent years
• Undersea cables carry most global internet traffic and support financial transactions
($1 = 0.7437 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Sam Tabahriti; editing by Yoruk Bahceli)
