BAE Systems, a British company, said that it aims to launch an autonomous submersible by 2026. This is in response to the growing concern of countries about threats underwater, after a series attacks on submarine cables.

BAE successfully tested the Herne sub product last year. At the DSEI weapons fair, the company announced on Tuesday that it had signed a 10-year contract with Canadian partner Cellula Robotics. The two companies aim to have the product "market-ready" by the end 2026.

Herne will be the first autonomous undersea vehicle that BAE brings to market. Scott Jamieson said that he is confident BAE will be producing 10-20 submarines by 2027.

He said that a number countries and delegations had shown interest in the company this week.

He said that many Western navies are aware of the threat emerging under the ocean. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Baltic Sea region is on high alert. This is because there have been a series of power cables, telecom links, and gas pipeline outages.

The Herne Mini-Submarine could be used to support traditional submarines and anti-submarine weaponry, as well as covert surveillance. It would also help protect underwater infrastructure.

Jamieson stated that while unmanned subs were available for purchase, they were more often for commercial customers than military ones and were controlled remotely, not fully autonomous.

He said: "We have a militaryised intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system aboard, which I believe sets us apart from the competition in terms of combination." As a sign that demand for autonomous systems is growing, BAE announced on Tuesday a partnership with U.S. weapons giant Lockheed Martin in order to develop a brand new uncrewed automated air system.

Jamieson refused to comment on the cost of each, but stated in a presentation about Herne's goal to balance affordability and performance. (Reporting and editing by Paul Simao; Sarah Young contributed the reporting)

(source: Reuters)