Royal Navy evaluates next-gen maritime capabilities

Image courtesy SubSea Craft

Through a consortium of defence primes and specialist SMEs, headed by SubSea Craft, the demonstration delivered an anti-submarine warfare concept anchored by MARS, a multi-purpose uncrewed surface vessel designed to maximise survivability and operational disruption in contested environments. MARS can deliver effects across the domains of warfare, using payloads from a variety of vendors. 

In tandem with MARS, capabilities spanning undersea sensors, communications, and command-and-control were deployed by consortium members to illustrate the relevance of persistent, layered maritime awareness and denial effects in the High North and Greenland Iceland United Kingdom (GIUK) gap. 

The showcase underscored the agility of UK Defence to cooperate and respond to the First Sea Lord’s unveiling of Atlantic Bastion, made just one month prior to the demonstrations taking place.

The programme makes clear that the evolving profile of sub-threshold activity in the North Atlantic requires non-linear thinking to detect, deter and defeat emerging threats. 

Interoperability formed a key pillar of the demonstration, with industry primes Leonardo, Capgemini and Viasat utilising digital and data capabilities to profile MARS’ force multiplying effect and integration capabilities. Because it is a craft interoperable with multiple other USVs, CONOPS were also planned showing MARS alongside other fleet assets. 

Dame Penny Mordaunt, Chair of SubSea Craft and Former UK Secretary of State for Defence, said: “Achieving an autonomous anti-submarine warfare capability across the GIUK Gap is a complex task, one that requires bold partnerships across industry and government in order to deliver operational relevance and advantage to the UK. 

"Alongside our consortium partners, we have successfully demonstrated a credible pathway to meeting the Royal Navy’s future force design and Atlantic Bastion vision. 

"SubSea Craft’s philosophy of open architecture design provides a bedrock from which platforms like MARS can be integrated across UK Defence capabilities to continuously meet the emerging requirements of the UK and its allies. 

"The need for the responsive development of advanced maritime platforms is greater than ever and the Atlantic Bastion represents a critical milestone in this process.”