Cable network of undersea sensors to detect submarines found ‘mysteriously’ cut

An unmanned submarine traced the cause to Node 2, a Norwegian surveillance platform 820 feet underwater that was dragged away from its normal location.

A Norwegian undersea surveillance network that is capable of detecting submarines has had its cables ‘mysteriously’ cut.

Police were called in to investigate amid suspicion Russia could have ‘sabotaged’ the undersea sensors, which predominantly monitor fish but can pick up the movement of submarines.

The cables were cut and then disappeared, with the Institute of Marine Research describing ‘extensive damage’ to the outer area of the Lofoten-Vesterålen (LoVe) Ocean Observatory.

LoVe consists of a network of undersea cables and sensors located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, an area of strategic interest for both Norway and Russia. LoVe, which was only declared fully operational in August 2020, has been offline since the outage in April.

Source: Military and Aerospace Electronics