A new report by the British American Information Council BASIC , an independent security think tank , claims that underwater drones and other new technologies could accurately detect and track submarines , effectively rendering them useless . The Chinese are looking at new forms of propulsion and navigation for underwater gliders and ‘robotic fish’, which operate in man-made shoals, capable of putting on a burst a speed when chasing a target. " In the future , those seas are likely to be increasingly crowded with networked drones , a net of eyes and ears which no submarine can escape . " Different systems are being developed by China and the US : The Chinese are developing " robotic fish " that operate in shoals and can accelerate to chase a target ; and the US Navy is working on Low - Cost UAV Swarming Technology ( LOCUST ) made up of small synchronised drones flying in the air ; and Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices ( SQUIDS ) which are sensors mounted on small underwater drones . The report was presented in the UK Parliament , which is debating whether to replace the fleet of four 20-year old Vanguard submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles .
A new report by the British American Information Council BASIC , an independent security think tank , claims that underwater drones and other new technologies could accurately detect and track submarines , effectively rendering them useless . " In the future , those seas are likely to be increasingly crowded with networked drones , a net of eyes and ears which no submarine can escape . " Different systems are being developed by China and the US : The Chinese are developing " robotic fish " that operate in shoals and can accelerate to chase a target ; and the US Navy is working on Low - Cost UAV Swarming Technology ( LOCUST ) made up of small synchronised drones flying in the air ; and Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices ( SQUIDS ) which are sensors mounted on small underwater drones . The report was presented in the UK Parliament , which is debating whether to replace the fleet of four 20-year old Vanguard submarines that carry Trident nuclear missiles .