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 .
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 30 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.