Ministry of Defence plans new wave of unmanned marine drones

The Royal Navy has been using unmanned mini-subs such as the Seafox, above, to clear mines. Photograph: Stephen Barnes/Military / Alamy/Alamy

The Ministry of Defence is seeking to develop a new generation of unmanned maritime "drones" that would be used for anti-submarine warfare and possible missile attacks on enemy ships, the Guardian has learned.
A fleet of Royal Navy unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) is already being used in the Gulf to help prevent Iran laying mines in important sea lanes, and ministers are now considering whether similar devices could be used to tackle pirates off the coast of Somalia.
Documents show that the MoD is hoping to hugely improve drone capabilities, having seen how effective they have been for Nato against the Taliban. Whitehall sources confirm the British military wants to integrate drones across the three armed services as a cheaper way of waging war, providing round-the-clock surveillance and gathering intelligence. "The possibilities of these new drone technologies is endless," a senior defence official told the Guardian.


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