UK commits to buying 3 mine-hunting motherships from Norway
The UK allocated £90 million (about $119 million) to acquire vessels that will deploy uncrewed mine-hunting systems. The first is expected in 2031.
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The UK allocated £90 million (about $119 million) to acquire vessels that will deploy uncrewed mine-hunting systems. The first is expected in 2031.
UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting and Norwegian Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik confirmed the UK’s commitment to buy 3 mine-hunting motherships at a meeting in Oslo on 12 November, the UK Ministry of Defence said. The ships will deploy uncrewed systems used to find sea mines.
The purchase follows the Lunna House Agreement of December 2025, which had already established UK participation in Norway’s program to develop support vessels for uncrewed mine-hunting and undersea warfare. The earlier agreement did not specify this purchase of 3 ships.
The British offshore support vessels will be part of Norway’s P1118 Standardised Vessel Programme. The ministry says their uncrewed systems will make detecting and disposing of mines safer, quicker and more effective, while keeping sailors farther from danger and supporting anti-submarine capabilities on NATO’s northern flank.
Streeting said the deal strengthens the UK’s ability to protect freedom of navigation, which is critical to its security and economy. The ministry pointed to Iran’s mining of the Strait of Hormuz, which it called illegal and said had caused major disruption to global energy trade. Sandvik said the UK’s purchase of Norwegian vessels would further strengthen the strategic partnership rooted in the Lunna House Agreement. He said operating similar vessels would improve cooperation between the British and Norwegian navies and their ability to operate together on NATO’s northern flank.
The ministry’s November 12 announcement said an additional £90 million (about $119 million) for the acquisition had been announced in the Defence Investment Plan. As Breaking Defense reported, the ministers formalized the purchase decision at the Atlantic Future Forum.
The force said the tanker suffered an explosion in the Strait of Hormuz on 13 November after taking a route Iran had not authorized. The vessel’s identity and condition remain unknown.
That allocation is separate from the £90 million (about $119 million) Atlantic Net contract awarded to Ocean Infinity by the ministry and Royal Navy. Atlantic Net will combine uncrewed systems and sensors to detect and monitor underwater threats across the North Atlantic.
The ministry expects the Royal Navy to receive its first mothership in 2031. The agreement also gives the UK an option to buy 3 additional vessels.
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