Royal Navy submarines cannot repel Russia’s Arctic fleet, MPs warn

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Subscribe now Log in Login icon Follow us on: More from The Telegraph Danielle Sheridan Defence Editor Show biography !Danielle Sheridan As The Telegraph's first female Defence Editor, Danielle has broken countless exclusives on the British military. She has reported from Ukraine since Putin's invasion, laying bare the extent of Russia's depravity. Published 22 October 2026 6:00am BST Save This feature is available for registered users. Please register or log in to continue RegisterLog in Comment speech bubble icon 2 Share article Log in or Subscribe Copy link

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Add us as preferred source !HMS Anson HMS Anson, one of the Royal Navy’s Astute class nuclear-powered submarines Credit: UK MoD Danielle Sheridan Defence Editor Show biography !Danielle Sheridan As The Telegraph's first female Defence Editor, Danielle has broken countless exclusives on the British military. She has reported from Ukraine since Putin's invasion, laying bare the extent of Russia's depravity. Published 22 October 2026 6:00am BST Royal Navy attack submarines are unable to fight Russia under Arctic ice, MPs have warned. A report by the defence select committee found that the UK had “glaring gaps” in its military capabilities in the polar region, leaving the area vulnerable to Russian threats. Warning that the UK had let its under-ice submarine capability “lapse at a time when the High North has become strategically more important”, it said the Astute class submarines had not yet been certified to operate under ice. The report, published on Thursday, said: “Without a credible under-ice capability, the UK is less able to contest Russian freedom of action in the High North and risks being forced into a more defensive posture. Russia can then use the ice to conceal and protect its own submarines, while threatening Nato sea lanes, UK critical infrastructure and the nuclear deterrent.” A Navy source told The Telegraph the hunter-killer submarines could not break ice to surface because they had not been fitted with sonar systems that would allow them to identify a suitable fissure. He said the UK had “taken its eye off the ball” and needed to prioritise fitting Astute class submarines with this sonar, which was essential to operate under the ice. Submariners had not been trained on this equipment. The source said: “The UK needs to prioritise developing, fitting and then training submariners to use this sensor. If you don’t have that sonar, which we don’t, you can’t tell how thick the ice is and you can’t take the risk of damaging the boat, so we cannot currently operate under the ice cap, and that has left Russia monopolising the region.” Russian submarines are known to have surfaced through ice in 2021 and are believed to still have the capability to do so. US navy submarines can surface through ice, because they are fitted with BQS-15 sonar. The UK’s nuclear weapons are also protected by the five Type 23 frigates and six Type 45 destroyers that are in service. Eight new Type 26 frigates will eventually take over the role, but the defence committee warned that, with construction slow, ministers should ensure none of the remaining ships were taken out of service in the meantime. The report, published on Thursday, warned that a requirement in the High North was for eight of the 13 frigates to be fitted with the Sonar 2087 towed array for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. Currently, this is on the remaining five Type 23s. Eight new Type 26 frigates will take over the ASW role, with five Type 31 general purpose ships making up the remaining frigate requirement. However, the report warned that the new ships were not expected to be available on time. !A Russian nuclear-powered submarine There are fears the Royal Navy will struggle to track Russia’s nuclear-powered attack submarines in the High North Credit: Getty/Russian Defence Ministry Tan Dhesi, chairman of the committee, said: “The High North poses a major strategic challenge for the UK’s security. This is a demanding, hostile environment, and one that our greatest adversary, Russia, is seeking to dominate for military advantage. “The UK needs to be willing to address a hard truth: it does not currently have all the capabilities to operate successfully in the High North. “Russian submarine and sabotage forces in the High North pose direct risks to the North Atlantic and the UK, including the nuclear deterrent. Despite this, the Ministry of Defence has accepted a serious anti-submarine warfare gap.” Mr Dhesi added: “Publicly available evidence of low availability among destroyers, frigates and attack submarines calls into question whether the UK can meet its commitments in the High North. And if the UK Government means what it says – that Russia could attack Nato as soon as 2030 – then work to rectify these vulnerabilities cannot start soon enough.” The committee also questioned whether the Joint Expeditionary Force, a UK-led military coalition of northern European nations, should focus more on threats in the High North rather than maintaining the same level of activity in the Baltic region. The Kremlin is seeking to exploit the High North, loosely defined as the Arctic and parts of the North Atlantic, for minerals and for control over shipping routes as melting sea ice makes them more accessible. The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment. Join the conversation Show 2 comments The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy. Copy link

The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Please review our commenting policy. Related Topics Royal Navy, Royal Navy Submarine Service, Russia, Arctic, Arctic Ocean, Ministry of Defence

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