AUKUS Allies to Deploy Advanced Undersea Drones as Part of Expanded Defense Pact

Britain, the United States and Australia confirmed a defence pact that will deliver unmanned drones equipped with advanced sensors and weapons systems to protect undersea cables and pipelines. Defence Secretary John Healey announced the initiative under the AUKUS alliance.

" Submarine communication links form the backbone of Britain's digital infrastructure, carrying internet connectivity, telephone calls, instant messaging and social media platforms.

4 trillion every day. A parliamentary committee issued a warning late last year that the UK must prepare for the possibility that cables can be threatened in the event of a security crisis. MPs and peers stated that Putin has shown every sign of wanting to test the soft underbelly of the Nato alliance and that cables are sufficiently vulnerable to make them a target.

Concerns increased in April when Healey disclosed that a Royal Navy vessel and RAF maritime patrol aircraft tracked Russian submarines conducting reconnaissance of underwater infrastructure in the North Atlantic. British forces monitored a Russian Akula-class nuclear-powered submarine and two deep-sea vessels belonging to Russia's directorate for deep-sea research for over a month before the craft departed the area.

Healey indicated that AUKUS innovations would extend beyond the Indo-Pacific, benefiting security operations in the Atlantic and the High North.

The pact has primarily concentrated on supplying Australia with nuclear-powered submarines and establishing facilities for American and British vessels operating in the Indo-Pacific. In a separate development, the allies confirmed that Australia would now receive only previously operational nuclear-powered submarines from the United States as part of efforts to simplify the AUKUS arrangement.

The original 2021 agreement anticipated Australia obtaining at least three Virginia-class submarines within 15 years, with expectations of receiving two used vessels and one newly constructed craft.

Akula submarines have advanced capabilities such as intelligence gathering and striking land targets and are a critical component of the Russian navy. The two spy submarines are specialist vessels from Russia's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research, known as Gugi, which is believed to be tasked directly by the Russian president and designed specifically to conduct sabotage operations of deep-sea infrastructure.

Gugi operates vessels and specialised submarines including the Belgorod, Paltus, X-Ray, Kashalot and Losharik.

Gugi specialist submarines are titanium-hulled, enabling them to sustain the pressure of operating at extreme depths, according to the Royal United Services Institute. Dr Sidharth Kaushal, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, stated that in this instance the Akula submarine was used to draw attention away from Gugi submarines while in UK waters.

He said that by monitoring activity, the Royal Navy can build awareness about what infrastructure is being mapped and potentially recover any surveillance assets left behind.

Kaushal added that monitoring can also build awareness regarding Russian tactics, including the apparent use of an Akula attack submarine to draw attention away from Gugi submarines in the most recent incident.