Britain Invests $121m in Defense Systems to Counter Subsea Russian Threats

Britain said on Tuesday it would spend £90 million ($121 million) on drones, sensors and artificial intelligence systems to help the Royal Navy counter Russian undersea threats in the North Atlantic and protect critical infrastructure.

• New network of autonomous systems equipped with advanced sensors will create a unified surveillance capability to improve the detection and monitoring of submarine activity

• Western officials have warned Russia has increased activity around subsea infrastructure

• In April, Britain said it had deployed military vessels to deter Russian submarines who it said had spent more than a month in and around British waters, warning Moscow that any attempt to damage cables or pipelines would have "serious consequences"

• Russia has denied the allegations

• NATO allies have strengthened surveillance of cables and pipelines in recent years

• Undersea cables carry most global internet traffic and support financial transactions

($1 = 0.7437 pounds)

(Reuters)