The Royal Navy has ordered a submarine it says will be the largest and most complex unmanned submarine operated by a European navy, in a deal aimed at strengthening Britain’s ability to protect undersea cables and pipelines.

Under the contract signed with M Subs, a small specialist underwater vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Plymouth, England, the 12-metre-long submarine will be delivered to the Royal Navy within two years. Announcing the £15.4m deal on 1^st December, the UK Ministry of Defence said the procurement is “the first step in developing an operational autonomous submarine that will operate alongside or independently with crewed submarines, including the Astute-class submarine and its successors”.

The British Ministry of Defence announced last month that it was holding a competition worth around £20m to provide a remote-controlled deep-water rescue capability to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the navy’s support arm.

This development comes days after Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced that leaders plan to speed up the delivery of the first of two multi-purpose ocean surveillance vessels ordered by the British to protect underwater cables. The first of the ships is expected to be delivered in the next few weeks.

In a statement announcing the unmanned submarine agreement, Wallace said: ‘’ To meet the growing threats to our underwater infrastructure, the Royal Navy needs to stay ahead of the competition with the latest capabilities. Project Cetus will help ensure that we have the right equipment to keep the UK and our allies safe, as well as pulling the MROS ships forward.’’

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key said the deal is exciting and stands out from the unmanned underwater vehicles the British have ever purchased and he added, “This extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle is a capability step in our mission to dominate the underwater battlefield.’’