US, Australia, and UK Plan New Unmanned Vehicles to Protect Undersea Data Cables (cnn.com) 15
"Around 570 cables (plus a further 80 planned) carry between 95% and 99% of the world's intercontinental telecommunications data," reports CNN (since fiber cables offer speeds of terabits per second, carry much more data than satellite links). And "networks of green energy cables carrying electricity are also starting to sprawl across the world's seabeds."
Now to protect them, the U.S., Australia and the U.K. "are planning to develop new unmanned undersea vehicles" as part of their trilateral security partnership. Western governments see a growing risk of Russian and Chinese sabotage of undersea cables and are also concerned that Iran may seek to exploit the many data networks running through the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. The "seabed is a battlefield" said Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, in Singapore, calling for tougher action against so-called shadow-fleet vessels... The programme will improve the three nations' reconnaissance and strike capabilities, "and bolster superiority in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare," as well as mine countermeasures, [according to a statement from their trilateral AUKUS partnership]... The new AUKUS project will sharpen all three countries' ability to respond to threats, including those targeting underwater cables and pipelines, through a range of "cutting edge sensors and weapons systems for undersea drones," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
Marles said undersea internet cables — "the arteries of modern civilization" — were being cut at an unprecedented rate, with island nations like Australia acutely vulnerable. "Over the past 18 months, we have witnessed a series of attacks against subsea critical infrastructure at a scale and frequency that is historically unprecedented," he said. The UK government has also highlighted the vulnerability of the world's digital highways. "Every international payment, every cross-border trade executed in milliseconds, every flow of data between businesses here in the UK and markets overseas — all travel along the seabed," Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd said Friday... Last month, the UK said it had tracked three Russian submarines covertly surveying undersea cables in the north Atlantic... A UK parliamentary inquiry warned last year that UK infrastructure might be targeted in a crisis, adding it was "not confident that the UK could prevent such attacks or recover within an acceptable time period."
The UK Navy is already exploring the creation of a hybrid force that incorporates the widespread use of underwater drones to combat Russian threats in the Atlantic.
Now to protect them, the U.S., Australia and the U.K. "are planning to develop new unmanned undersea vehicles" as part of their trilateral security partnership. Western governments see a growing risk of Russian and Chinese sabotage of undersea cables and are also concerned that Iran may seek to exploit the many data networks running through the shallow waters of the Persian Gulf. The "seabed is a battlefield" said Australia's Defence Minister, Richard Marles, in Singapore, calling for tougher action against so-called shadow-fleet vessels... The programme will improve the three nations' reconnaissance and strike capabilities, "and bolster superiority in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare," as well as mine countermeasures, [according to a statement from their trilateral AUKUS partnership]... The new AUKUS project will sharpen all three countries' ability to respond to threats, including those targeting underwater cables and pipelines, through a range of "cutting edge sensors and weapons systems for undersea drones," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
Marles said undersea internet cables — "the arteries of modern civilization" — were being cut at an unprecedented rate, with island nations like Australia acutely vulnerable. "Over the past 18 months, we have witnessed a series of attacks against subsea critical infrastructure at a scale and frequency that is historically unprecedented," he said. The UK government has also highlighted the vulnerability of the world's digital highways. "Every international payment, every cross-border trade executed in milliseconds, every flow of data between businesses here in the UK and markets overseas — all travel along the seabed," Telecoms Minister Liz Lloyd said Friday... Last month, the UK said it had tracked three Russian submarines covertly surveying undersea cables in the north Atlantic... A UK parliamentary inquiry warned last year that UK infrastructure might be targeted in a crisis, adding it was "not confident that the UK could prevent such attacks or recover within an acceptable time period."
The UK Navy is already exploring the creation of a hybrid force that incorporates the widespread use of underwater drones to combat Russian threats in the Atlantic.
hybrid force (Score:2)
"The UK Navy is already exploring the creation of a hybrid force that incorporates the widespread use of underwater drones to combat Russian threats in the Atlantic. :
It will run on gasoline and electricity.
Well hybrid subs are stealthier than nuclear ,,, (Score:2)
"The UK Navy is already exploring the creation of a hybrid force that incorporates the widespread use of underwater drones to combat Russian threats in the Atlantic. It will run on gasoline and electricity.
In other words WW2 class sub tech, fossil fuels on the surface, recharge the batteries, battery operation below. Supposedly such subs are stealthier than nuclear subs when operating on electric. That could be one of the motivations for this surveillance and interdiction mission.
Re: (Score:2)
"The UK Navy is already exploring the creation of a hybrid force that incorporates the widespread use of underwater drones to combat Russian threats in the Atlantic. It will run on gasoline and electricity.
In other words WW2 class sub tech, fossil fuels on the surface, recharge the batteries, battery operation below.
Older than that. The UK's first gasoline/electric submarine was launched in 1901 [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:2)
"The UK Navy is already exploring the creation of a hybrid force that incorporates the widespread use of underwater drones to combat Russian threats in the Atlantic. It will run on gasoline and electricity.
In other words WW2 class sub tech, fossil fuels on the surface, recharge the batteries, battery operation below.
Older than that. The UK's first gasoline/electric submarine was launched in 1901 [wikipedia.org].
Yes, WW1 was famous for sub warfare, even to us in the USA :-) However I was thinking the tech is closer to WW2, or early postwar period, for the two propulsion systems at least.
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They are quieter, yes. Nuclear subs aren't all that stealthy because the reactor is constantly making noise. They are designed to stay submerged for long periods of time, not engage other subs at ranges where the noise gives them a disadvantage. The hope is that they can't be found in the vast ocean, or at least not consistently enough to negate the threat of nuclear retaliation.
Battery electric propulsion can't be beat for stealth.
To what end? (Score:2)
Just what are these undersea drones expected to do when they come upon a sub messing with a cable? Putting aside a false positive from a legit repair vessel, will it be offensive or just a snitch? If armed, who says they can't be repurposed or hacked to attack a friend's or foe's cable?
Re: (Score:2)
The argument isn't between protecting and not protecting, it's between having humans or computers in charge. Ofc it's not surprising seeing the Naziyahoo clones get things wrong.
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I honestly don't know my ar*se from my elbow here, but I'd imagine that the drones won't really do all that much. They'll tootle about listening for submarines. If they detect some, they'll alert the Admiralty who'll decide what to do.
For the most part, submarines are supposed to be 'invisible' and their locations aren't supposed to be known. Thus, if you detect one, you're one step ahead of your enemy. I'd imagine that if your enemy was tinkering with a cable, and one of your own subs just happens to come
You serious ;) (Score:2)
You Serious? [youtube.com]