Ireland Joins Russian Submarine Hunt in Atlantic Ocean

Ireland is upgrading its naval capabilities to address increasing security concerns, including the activity of Russian vessels and the expansion of offshore infrastructure. The shift will move the Irish Naval Service from a constabulary force focused on fisheries protection to a force capable of protecting national security and deterring potential sabotage.

Modernizing Ireland’s Naval Service

For decades, the Irish Naval Service primarily focused on fisheries protection, accounting for over 90% of its operations as of 2000. However, increased activity from Russian ships both above and below the water, coupled with plans for significant offshore infrastructure development like wind farms, is driving a change in strategy.

The eight ships in the Irish Naval Service currently have limited ability to detect threats above the waves and no ability to detect threats below the surface. This was highlighted by a drone incursion during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit last December.

Military and Government officials have outlined a plan to equip existing ships with advanced technology to detect hostile submarines near offshore infrastructure and to increase cooperation with France and the UK to deter potential threats. The approach is informed by analysis of specific threats and participation in meetings of NATO’s Undersea Infrastructure Coordination Cell.

From Constabulary Force to Maritime Domain Awareness

The goal is to create a force capable of protecting national security while deterring espionage and potential sabotage. Officials prefer the term “Maritime Domain Awareness” over “Anti-Submarine Warfare.”

The project, described as the most ambitious ever undertaken by the Naval Service, aims to move the organization up two levels on a naval capability scale, to a level six “offshore territorial defence navy.”

The initial phase will involve midlife refits of the four Beckett-class offshore patrol vessels. Three of these ships will be fitted with towed sonar arrays purchased from French defence company Thales for approximately €60 million. These arrays will use both active and passive sonar to detect underwater activity.

The ships will also receive medium-range air-search radar to detect airborne threats, such as drones, and electronic warfare systems to jam drones and sensors. A new control room will be retrofitted onto each ship to operate these systems.

Addressing Underwater Threats

Patrol patterns will focus on areas where an adversary could inflict the most damage, such as locations with numerous undersea data cables. The Air Corps’ C295 maritime patrol aircraft will be deployed to monitor activity detected by the sonar, and sonobuoys will be used to supplement sonar detection.

Permanent sensors will also be located on the seafloor and attached to privately owned subsea infrastructure, with companies expected to cooperate by mounting these sensors. Information gathered will be analyzed at a new national maritime security centre and shared with EU nations.

While the new technology will detect the presence of undersea objects, it may not always be able to determine if they pose a threat. If a submarine is detected, Irish authorities will seek confirmation from friendly nations and, if necessary, request assistance from French or UK authorities.

The focus is on deterrence. Officials believe that the mere possibility of detection is often enough to deter hostile activity. Since 2014, the Russian vessel Yantar has made multiple visits to Irish waters, sometimes loitering over subsea infrastructure, and is believed to be capable of intelligence collection and sabotage.

The Defence Forces is also aware of nine other submarines and six mini-submarines in Russia’s Northern Fleet that could potentially threaten subsea infrastructure. US naval ships, including the Zeus, a cable-laying vessel, are also occasional visitors to Irish waters.