Published 6 days ago • loading... • Updated 5 days ago

UK Opens New AI-Powered Underwater Drone Facility

On Wednesday, Helsing opened its first UK Resilience Factory in Plymouth, an 18,000-square-foot site, with John Healey, Secretary of State for Defence, leading the launch to produce SG-1 Fathom autonomous underwater gliders.
The government says the move was prompted by Russia's "shadow fleet" capable of mapping and potentially sabotaging UK undersea cables, citing Yantar's laser incidents this month and its return in recent weeks.
The SG-1 Fathom will integrate with Lura Maritime AI's large acoustic model for real-time detection and classification, while gliders can operate for three months and be deployed in hundreds as swarms.
Production has already begun and testing is underway at Turnchapel Wharf, Plymouth, and the British Underwater Test and Evaluation Centre, creating high-skilled jobs in the South West and expanding supply chains.
The move ties into government defence plans, with at least 10% of Ministry of Defence equipment procurement aimed at novel technologies and spending rising to 2.6% of GDP by April 2027.

Insights by Ground AI

16 Articles

Royal Navy sonar systems to lean on AI for upgrades

A recent written parliamentary exchange has outlined the Ministry of Defence’s efforts to enhance sonar capabilities across the Royal Navy’s fleet. Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, asked the department “what steps he has taken to improve the sonar capabilities of the Royal Navy surface fleet.” His question sought detail on both technology development and its integration into existing and future platforms. Responding on behalf of th…

5 days ago

Read Full Article

janes.com

Center

Helsing to produce SG-1 Fathom underwater glider at UK Resilience Factory

Germany's Helsing will produce and maintain its SG-1 Fathom underwater gliders at what it calls its first UK ‘Resilience Factory' in Plymouth, according to a 19 November...

6 days ago

Read Full Article