Britain's Bond-style ‘Q' boffins unveil underwater drone to take on Putin's cable-cutters…by blowing them to smithereens
BRITAIN'S top defence brainboxes have unveiled a Bond-style underwater drone designed to stop Putin's cable-cutting saboteurs in their tracks.
The super sub can hunt out and destroy sabotage threats lurking on the seabed - by blowing them to smithereens.
Advertisement
5
The underwater drone can prevent adversaries from sabotaging undersea cables and pipelines by disarming or removing threats
Credit: UK Gov
5
The high-tech robot has already been trialled Portsmouth's Horsea Island, Portland Harbour, South Wales and Norway
Credit: UK Gov
5
The sub targets any potential saboteurs by blowing them to smithereens
Credit: UK GOV
Developed by the MoD's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), it is armed and ready to protect the UK's vital undersea cables and pipelines.
Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Dstl's boffins have added cutting-edge sensors, cameras, and explosive systems to high-tech underwater robot.
That way, operators are able to spot unexploded bombs, place charges remotely, and safely neutralise the threat — without risking Royal Navy divers.
John, a Dstl explosives engineer, said: 'This technology would be a valuable toolset for keeping our Armed Forces safe whilst providing the public with value for money.
Advertisement
Read more on Russia
'This unique capability with its sensors, tools and cameras will give operators a real time ability to deal with these underwater hazards in a safe, effective and efficient way.'
The underwater drone goes deeper than any diver can, staying down for far longer and working tirelessly.
It can be launched from a ship or even a shoreline, sending back sonar and video feeds to operators who remain at a safe distance while disarming explosives or fending off hostile actions.
Crucially, it's reusable. Once a threat is neutralised, the drone sub lives to dive another day - cutting costs while keeping seas safe.
Advertisement
Most read in The Sun
The project is also a win for British industry, supporting specialist jobs through partnerships with firms like Alford Technologies, Atlantas Marine, Sonardyne and ECS Special Projects.
Trials have already taken place in Portsmouth's Horsea Island, Portland Harbour, South Wales and as far afield as Norway.
Putin humiliated as Russian war facility EXPLODES in Ukrainian drone strike
The Royal Navy is now developing tactics and techniques to make full use of the new tech.
The Ministry of Defence hailed the innovation on social media, calling it a leap forward in protecting sailors and vital undersea cables.
Advertisement
The new underwater drone arrives amid warnings about Russian undersea activity in UK waters.
In April, it was revealed that
The sensors, reportedly deployed using Russian oligarchs' luxury yachts, were discovered washed ashore and picked up by Navy minehunter ships.
Officials fear the covert operation could be part of a wider 'greyzone' campaign to gather intelligence and target undersea infrastructure.
Advertisement
Royal Navy and RAF assets were scrambled last November when the
Around the same time, RAF fighter jets intercepted a Russian warplane over the North Sea, and unmanned Russian underwater vehicles were also detected near communication cables.
5
The Minehunter HMS Cattistock (R) shadowing Admiral Vladimirsky through the English Channel
Credit: SWNS
5
Advertisement
One senior source told The Sunday Times: 'It's a bit like the space race. This is a world clouded in secrecy and subterfuge… but there's enough smoke to suggest something is on fire somewhere.'
In March, HMS Cattistock and a Wildcat helicopter were sent to
HMS Somerset and other Royal Navy units were also deployed multiple times to
At least 11 internet cables in the Baltic Sea have been damaged in the past 15 months — some suspected to have been dragged by Russian ships — while surface vessels like the Admiral Vladimirskiy have continued probing waters near the UK.
Advertisement
In response, military chiefs are drawing up Operation Atlantic Bastion — a sweeping new patrol mission using air, land and sea forces to defend UK and Nato interests in the North Atlantic.
What is the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory?
THE Defence Science and Technology Laboratory — better known as Dstl — is the UK government's secretive hub of military innovation.
Based at Porton Down in Wiltshire, it's packed with some of Britain's brightest scientific minds, often likened to James Bond's Q Branch.
Part of the Ministry of Defence, Dstl works behind the scenes to give UK Armed Forces a cutting-edge advantage.
From cyber warfare and AI to battlefield tech and bio-defence, it develops, tests and fine-tunes everything that keeps British troops one step ahead.
Dstl collaborates with industry, universities and international partners, but much of its work remains classified.
Its projects aren't just for warfighting — they're designed to save lives, protect national infrastructure, and deliver tech that punches well above its weight on the world stage.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
18 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Leading car brand launches new SUV that looks just like a Land Rover but only costs £9,000
A LEADING car brand has launched a new SUV that looks just like a Land Rover and is easier on the wallet. The Chinese car firm have obviously taken inspiration from one of the biggest SUV brands on the market but for a fraction of the price. 1 The Chinese model is eerily similar to a Land Rover Credit: David Shepherd Chery's 2026 Tiggo 7 Sport and Tiggo 7 Plus have been unveiled with both designs looking almost identical to Range Rover's hugely popular Evoque. But it has one major advantage over its European competitors as its set to hit the roads for £9,000. Pricing for the new Tiggo 7 Sports starts at 87,900 yuan in The higher end Tiggo 7 Plus is priced slightly higher at 91,900 yuan or £9,400. Read more Motors news Compare that to a brand new Evoque and you're looking at an eye-watering £44,000 with costs even exceeding the £50,000 mark in some instances. It's still not as cheap if you purchase a second-hand Evoque which come in at around £20,000. The new Tiggo is not yet sold in Europe and prices are likely to be higher when the model is eventually made available due to importing costs. But British motorists will be happy to hear that, because of the lack of tariffs on brand-new Chinese cars, they will likely pay considerably less than their US or EU counterparts. Most read in Motors In Australia, the Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid has been made available with models hitting the market for $39,990. That would equate to around £19,000 in the UK but this is still cheaper than many Western-build SUVs. The Tiggo 7 is available in a range of fuel types including mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric options. But those keen on getting their hands on one may have to wait a while as Chery intends to first expand to Eastern European nations could see a launch in the second half of this year with an initial focus on midsize plug-in hybrid models. The Tiggo 7 Sport comes with a 1.5 litre turbocharged engine variant delivering 115 kW with a six-speed dual clutch transmission. I restored a classic car I found at a scrapyard – now it's award-winning The model also comes with a mesh grille, concealed door handles and 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside, buyers will find a 13.2 inch screen and a multifunction steering wheel. Spend a bit more for a higher-spec model and you'll see higher end features included such as a panoramic sunroof and ventilated front passenger seat. Chery, the largest exporter of cars from China for the past 22 years, exported 1.14 million vehicles globally in 2024. Chery decided to launch as a standalone brand despite a pre-existing partnership with British firm Jaguar Land Rover.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Tech tycoon Mike Lynch's sunken super yacht lifted to surface
Salvage experts lifted Mike Lynch's sunken superyacht to the surface and began pumping seawater out of it on Saturday, 10 months after it sank off the coast of Sicily, killing the British tech tycoon, his teenage daughter and five others. Mr Lynch was born to a Co Tipperary mother who was a nurse and a Co Cork father who was a firefighter. Work resumed at first light, with one of the most powerful maritime cranes in Europe having been used to haul the 56-metre-long (184-foot) Bayesian from beneath the waves. The upper decks appeared badly damaged while the blue hull was encrusted with mud. The Bayesian was moored off the small port of Porticello, near Palermo, in August last year when it sank during a sudden storm. The yacht was vulnerable to violent winds and was probably knocked over by gusts of more than 117 km (73 miles) per hour, an interim British report said last month. The vessel will be held in an elevated position over the weekend while checks and preparations are made, said TMC Marine, which has been leading the salvage operation, working with Dutch specialists Hebo Maritiemservice to lift the yacht 50 metres from the seabed over the past few days. It is then expected to be transported to the nearby port of Termini Imerese on Monday and handed over to the authorities who are investigating the sinking. The recovery process has been made easier after the vessel's 72-metre mast was detached using a remote-controlled cutting tool and placed on the seabed on Tuesday. In addition to Lynch, founder of the software company Autonomy, his daughter Hannah, lawyer Chris Morvillo and his wife Neda, banker Jonathan Bloomer and his wife Judy, and chef Recaldo Thomas were killed when the yacht sank. Nine other crew members and six guests were rescued.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Billionaire Telegram founder and serial sperm donor Pavel Durov says he plans to leave fortune to all the 100-plus children he has fathered
Today at 21:30 Pavel Durov, the Russian-French billionaire and founder of messaging app Telegram, claims he's fathered more than 100 children through sperm donation over the last 15 years. The 40-year-old messaging mogul said in a recent interview that he's planning to share his fortune with all of his children, even though he's only the 'official father' of six.
