UK Tests Integrated Port Security Systems to Tackle Underwater Threats
In a huge step towards strengthening the maritime security readiness in the United Kingdom, a four-day security exercise was recently undertaken at the Portland Port located in the county of Dorset. Taking place in mid-June, the event featured an innovative underwater/aerial collaboration in detecting threats, a technology that is meant to protect critical coastal infrastructure against the threat of modern hybrid warfare.
Led by British companies Wavefront Systems and MARSS and aided by British defence integration expert Forcys, the test emulated real-life port incursion scenarios where simultaneous attacks by stealth divers and aerial drones have been a realistic threat to ships and port structures. The goal was straightforward: to show how efficient synchronised surveillance and command systems are at the mitigation of threats in real-time.
The defence exercise is being touted not only because of the technological accuracy but the sophistication with which its simulations are being done. The trial was important because it was designed to simulate multiple-domain simultaneous threats in the underwater, surface, and air, owing to the reality of the global maritime environment becoming more and more complex.
In the center of the exercise laythe cooperation of two developed systems:
- Sentinel Intruder Detection Sonar (IDS) Wavefront Systems: This sonar is a real-time decomposable model, which classifies and detects underwater intrusion, like divers and submersible vehicles.
- NiDAR Command and Control Platform (MARSS): It is a multi-domain surveillance complex that combines data from sonar, radar, RF signals, and electro-optical / infrared sensors to form a single operational picture.
The combination of the systems provided an overlay surveillance net that allowed quick detection and response to dynamic, emerging threats in a dynamic port environment.
Every day of the trial ended with the organized intrusion test that checked the promptness of the systems. The tests involved stealth divers in the strategic areas and drones hovering in the air as they replicated two-pronged attacks to test the technology. Real-time streaming of data happened over a NiDAR interface so that observers could watch the identification, classification, and neutralisation of threats happening.
The attendees included the defence, government stakeholders, and maritime security experts, with most of them being interested in the future implementations of this co-joined solution. Among the few signatures to attract special attention was Wavefront’s new Sentinel Expeditionary Trailer, a compact, quickly configured sonar system, which is designed to be used in expeditionary port operating conditions and in short-term ports. The invention can further increase the application of underwater detection systems beyond fixed systems, as it can be applicable even in conflict areas and humanitarian activities.
There is a need to create awareness on this multi-layered level, as Justin Hains, Business Development Manager of EMEIA at Forcys, emphasised: “This trial validated how crucial it is for modern security systems to communicate across domains. The speed at which decision-makers can act is determined by the clarity and timeliness of the data at their disposal.”
According to Paul Badger, Managing Director of Wavefront, the strength of such integrated systems is not only in the ability to detect the threat, but also in building the full response network.
“This wasn’t just about tech demos — it was about showing how these tools work together under pressure. That synergy is what turns data into decisive action.”
The need to conduct such trials is set against the backdrop of the growing tensions around the world and the trend towards asymmetric threats to coastal structures, particularly the sensitive geopolitical areas, such as the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions. The ports, which were once regarded as the main transit centers, are now viewed as strategic resources that are entrenched to espionage, sabotage, and even hybrid war.
Critical under-sea infrastructure like fibre-optic cables and pipelines is becoming a key target in grey-zone operations, and that is why countries like the UK are investing in technologies that seal surveillance gaps regardless of the environment: land, air, or underwater.
Although the precision placement involved a UK port, the firms involved in the process noted that the technology raised great interest internationally, which indicates that the capabilities of the system would be relevant to a wider audience of allies and strategic partners. The modern-day war never ends at the surface, and with such interventions in place as Sentinel IDS and NiDAR, such systems might soon turn out to be the order of the day in the maritime security protocols the world over.
