- The UK is sending submarine-hunting aircraft to participate in a new NATO operation in the Baltic Sea.
- The operation is a response to recent incidents in which several undersea cables were damaged.
- The damage came amid an increase in threats to critical underwater infrastructure.
The UK will be deploying submarine-hunting aircraft in support of a new NATO operation. The aircraft will fly patrols above the Baltic Sea and monitor threats to underwater infrastructure.
Last week, NATO announced the start of a mission called Baltic Sentry to boost its military presence in the Baltic Sea. The operation came in response to a suspected hybrid attack in late December that ultimately damaged several underwater cables.
Britain’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that the UK will provide P-8 Poseidon and RC-135 Rivet Joint maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft to the Baltic Sentry initiative.
The P-8 is a multi-mission patrol aircraft made by Boeing that can be equipped with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles and perform maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine missions.
The highly capable sub-hunter, a derivative of the civilian 737, was developed for the US Navy but is also in service with NATO allies. The UK operates nine of these planes at Lossiemouth, a Royal Air Force base in Scotland.
US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christopher Campbell
The British aircraft will complement other maritime assets deployed in support of Baltic Sentry, such as frigates and a small fleet of naval drones, to protect critical undersea infrastructure, which NATO officials, military leaders, and expert observers say is very vulnerable to sabotage.
In late December, Finland accused a commercial vessel believed to be part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of dragging its anchor for miles along the seabed, damaging a Finnish-Estonian power line and four telecom cables.
There have been other instances of suspected sabotage linked to Russia, which has been actively engaged in hybrid warfare attacks against NATO, especially since the start of the Ukraine war.
Earlier this month, the British government said that it deployed a UK-led reaction system to track potential threats to undersea infrastructure and monitor the shadow fleet. NATO followed up these efforts with the launch of Baltic Sentry.
US Army General Christopher Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said last week that “Baltic Sentry will deliver focused deterrence throughout the Baltic Sea and counter destabilizing acts like those observed last month.”
AP Photo/Hendrik Osula
Critical underwater infrastructure can be easily damaged by crude and sophisticated means.
Russia has a fleet of spy ships, special-mission submarines, and naval drones capable of targeting underwater infrastructure, and NATO has expressed concern about their activities, particularly those tied to the General Staff Main Directorate for Deep Sea Research, or GUGI.
In recent years, NATO has detected an uptick in threats and warned that Moscow is developing capabilities for underwater combat. The range of threats demands NATO keep an eye on both surface vessels and undersea assets.
On Wednesday, UK Defense Secretary John Healey revealed that British forces had caught a Russian spy ship hanging around critical undersea infrastructure twice in recent months. It previously surfaced a sub next to it to send a message.
NATO allies have taken some steps to address the growing threat, such as testing new technologies, announcing increased patrols over the North Atlantic, and collaborating to protect critical undersea infrastructure like cables.
