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Royal Navy Unveils Hybrid Fleet and Northern Navies Plan to Counter Russia

The plan pairs crewed ships with autonomous systems to add combat mass fast against a growing undersea challenge.

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The UK Royal Navy is leading a new initiative to collect together Northern European naval combat capability. Pictured is the RN aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales on exercise in Norway in 2022. Credit: Crown copyright/UK Ministry of Defence, 2022.
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Overview

  • First Sea Lord Gwyn Jenkins, in a Wednesday speech at RUSI, set out a Hybrid Navy and a Northern Navies initiative focused on the North Atlantic and the High North.
  • He said Russian ship sightings near the UK have risen by about one third in two years, and officials recently disclosed a covert Russian submarine operation near undersea cables and pipelines.
  • The Navy reported a March wargame that, under the hybrid concept, tripled missile capacity and raised the chance of success across carrier, deterrence, and air defense missions.
  • Twenty Kraken uncrewed surface vessels have been delivered under Project Beehive to 47 Commando Royal Marines for training and operations.
  • Uncrewed patrols begin in the North Atlantic this year, with jet-powered drones flying from carriers next year and uncrewed escort vessels operating alongside warships the year after, as partners develop a Northern Navies force with shared kit, networks, and a target for a formal declaration by end of 2026.