UK and Norway forge combat fleet to hunt Russian submarines amid undersea threat
The UK and Norway are to form a joint North Atlantic warship fleet to counter rising Russian undersea threat
The UK and Norway will operate an integrated fleet of advanced warships to track Russian submarines and protect critical undersea infrastructure, under a landmark defence agreement unveiled as Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted his Norwegian counterpart in Scotland.
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The “Lunna House Agreement”, named after the wartime headquarters of the Norwegian resistance in Shetland, will see the Royal Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy work as a single force across the North Atlantic.
At least 13 British-built Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates, supported by autonomous systems, will patrol key maritime routes and the strategically vital Greenland–Iceland–UK (GIUK) gap.
The move follows a 30 per cent increase in Russian vessels operating near UK waters over the past two years, including the Russian intelligence ship Yantar, which P-8 maritime patrol aircraft detected on the edge of UK waters north of Scotland only weeks ago.
The agreement was announced as Sir Keir welcomed Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre to RAF Lossiemouth, where both leaders met UK and Norwegian personnel working through the Christmas period and heard directly from crews tracking Russian naval activity.
Read more: Russian spy ship aimed lasers at RAF pilots tracking it near UK waters
Sir Keir Starmer said: “At this time of profound global instability, as more Russian ships are being detected in our waters, we must work with international partners to protect our national security. This historic agreement with Norway strengthens our ability to protect our borders and the critical infrastructure our nations depend on. Through joint navy cooperation in the North Atlantic, we’re boosting security, supporting thousands of UK jobs, and showcasing Britain’s world-class shipbuilding on the global stage.”
The combined Type 26 fleet, consisting of eight British and at least five Norwegian frigates, is underpinned by the largest warship contract in UK history. The £10 billion deal, signed in September, will support more than 4,000 skilled British shipbuilding jobs and expand defence exports.
Defence Secretary John Healey and his Norwegian counterpart Tore O. Sandvik are due to formally sign the agreement at Downing Street.
The pair will later travel to Portsmouth to visit the Maritime Capability Coalition, which is coordinating training, equipment and infrastructure to strengthen Ukraine’s maritime defences.
Healey said: "In this new era of threat and with increasing Russian activity in the North Atlantic, our strength comes from hard power and strong alliances. When our critical infrastructure and waters are threatened, we step up.
“For over 75 years, the UK and Norway have stood shoulder-to-shoulder on NATO’s northern flank, defending Europe and keeping our people safe. This partnership takes us further, making our nations more secure at home and strong abroad.
“Through this Lunna House Agreement, we will patrol the North Atlantic as one, train together in the Arctic, and develop the advanced equipment that will keep our citizens safe now and into the future. We are stepping up on European security and delivering on our NATO-first plan.”
Under the agreement, the two navies will share maintenance facilities, technology and equipment to create fully interchangeable forces capable of rapid deployment. The pact also includes deeper industrial cooperation: the UK will join Norway’s programme to develop offshore support vessels that act as motherships for uncrewed systems used in mine hunting and undersea surveillance.
Other commitments include year-round Royal Marines training in Arctic conditions, the adoption of Norwegian-built Naval Strike Missiles across the Royal Navy’s surface fleet, joint wargaming, and expanded collaboration on Sting Ray torpedoes to increase munitions stockpiles.
The deal comes amid intensifying concern over Russia’s growing interest in Europe’s undersea infrastructure, from communications cables to energy pipelines. Russian covert naval units, including those operated by the secretive Gugi intelligence directorate, have been repeatedly linked to suspected sabotage and deep-sea reconnaissance.
Earlier this year, as LBC revealed, the Prime Minister warned EU leaders of the rising risk to sub-sea infrastructure, telling a European Council summit: “We need to deepen co-operation to protect ourselves from state threats and sabotage, including on sub-sea infrastructure.”
A letter released by Defence Minister Lord Coaker confirmed that the UK’s first multi-role ocean surveillance ship, RFA Proteus, is already operating as part of a new undersea protection network, with a second ship in development pending the Strategic Defence Review.
Lord Coaker said the government is “committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure”, highlighting ongoing coordination with government agencies and the subsea cable sector. In January, a Royal Navy attack submarine was deployed to warn off the Yantar as it loitered over UK undersea assets.
Defence experts warn that Europe remains dangerously exposed. Eugen Ciemnyjewski, CEO of EUROATLAS, a company developing autonomous undersea drones to protect Europe’s critical subsea infrastructure, told LBC that Europe risks leaving “an Achilles’ heel wide open”. He described Russia’s shadow fleet as engaging in “textbook hybrid warfare”, citing suspected damage to Finnish infrastructure and earlier sabotage incidents in the North Sea.
The stakes are enormous: around 98 per cent of the UK’s internet traffic, including financial transfers worth billions each day, depends on roughly 70 fibre-optic cables lying on the seabed. Repairing even one break can take weeks.
“ATMs, GPS, emergency services, the ability to disseminate information, anything that relies on the wider internet could cease functioning,” Ciemnyjewski said, arguing that Europe must treat subsea protection as a central pillar of national defence.
Sir Keir has called for greater European collaboration not only on undersea security but across defence research, munitions production and maritime operations ranging from the Red Sea to Ukraine. He has warned against fragmentation within Europe’s defence sector, arguing that closer cooperation is essential to meet rapidly evolving threats.
The Lunna House Agreement signals a significant tightening of ties with Norway and forms part of a broader UK effort to rebuild alliances following years of strained defence relationships. With Russian submarine activity rising and hybrid attacks increasing across Europe, British officials say the North Atlantic partnership is intended to ensure that critical national infrastructure is no longer left vulnerable in what experts describe as a conflict “already underway”.