The Royal Navy is ready to use it on Elon Musk Ownership Starlink Internet Network on British warships, it has been revealed.
The satellite service will be tested on HMS Prince of Wales to enable sailors to contact family and watch TV programs during the coming trip to the Indo-Pacific.
According to The Times, if the process in the aircraft carrier is considered successful, Starlink could be introduced in the rest of the fleet.
But the use of Starlink on the flagship of the Royal Navy has deepened the fears about the British dependence on the US, including the technology can be 'armed' by Mr. Musk.
The billionaire -Tech -Mogul – a narrow ally of US President Donald Trump recently warned that the “entire front line of Ukraine would collapse” if he reduced access to Starlink.
He described the system as the 'backbone of the Ukrainian army' while causing a collision with the Polish government, which finances the use of Starlink in Ukraine.
Mr. Musk is one of the fiercest critics of Ukraine, because Mr Trump insists that Kiev to sign a mineral overal with the US and to agree with a ceasefiring -the fire with Russia.
The richest man in the world has also repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on his social media X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Royal Navy is ready to use the Starlink Internet Network network of Elon Musk on British warships, it has been revealed
The satellite service will be tested on HMS Prince of Wales to enable sailors to contact family and watch TV programs during the upcoming trip to the Indo-Pacific
According to The Times, if the process in the aircraft carrier is considered successful, Starlink could be introduced in the rest of the fleet
Safe communication on HMS Prince of Wales is provided by Skynet Military Satellites, which are supplied by the European space giant Airbus.
The Ministry of Defense will soon have to decide whether the Airbus should keep whether the next £ 6 billion contract will give the American company Lockheed Martin.
Starlink has the 'worldest advanced internet system' and offers connectivity on 'even the most remote locations'.
The Royal Navy insisted that Starlink would only be on board the courier for 'non-operational Wi-Fi'.
But a source of the defense industry said the newspaper: 'The concern is that it is another possibility that we trust – and one that they can easily disable at a time when we are clear that we need more British sovereign capacity.
“It is a signal that the Ministry of Defense is willing to place British spaces -based capacities in American hands, which ensures that American defense companies such as Lockheed Martin try to take over safe space systems such as Skynet.”
Ben Bridge, British chairman of Airbus Defense and Space, said: 'The Royal Navy can use a variety of services for crew -hose communication, but these are not safe or resilient and not crucial for the mission.
What SKYNET offers is a very safe, military satellite communication system for this mission, able to withstand cyber, anti-jam and anti-nuclear attacks at great heights. “
He added: 'If your welfare communication system failed and the crew cannot view the next episode on Netflix, this is not a big problem.
“Skynet offers the critical military communication option that is needed for such missions, which is why it is so important that safe systems such as Skynet British remain produced and controlled.”
A spokeswoman for the Royal Navy said: “This process is on board for non-operational Wi-Fi, which will enable our people to have a better connectivity with their loved ones.”
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defense said: 'This purchasing for future satellite communication remains underway and each contract would only be granted on the basis of a safe, sovereign capacity.
“The Skynet Enduring Capability (SKEC) Wideband Satellite System (WSS) remains a continuous competition and we cannot comment further because of commercial sensitivities.”
