UK Royal Navy receives first autonomous mine countermeasures system
“Developments in sensor technology, data analytics, and machine learning have all significantly contributed to this innovation, allowing vessels to operate either fully autonomously or remote controlled by operators in a portable operations centre,” said the UK MoD.
The Royal Navy has taken delivery of new autonomous mine countermeasures systems (Thales)
BELFAST — The UK has announced the first delivery of an autonomous mine countermeasures system as part of a €430 million ($468 million) Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation-led (OCCAR) Anglo-French naval cooperation program.
In a statement today, the British MoD said that the Thales-made Maritime Mine Counter Measure (MMCM) systems are a “new capability” for the Royal Navy and comprise a 12-meter long Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) dubbed ARIADNE, alongside off-board payloads and a Remote Command Centre (RCC).
“With this advanced technology, mines can be rapidly detected in a more cost-effective and safer manner than previously, greatly increasing operational tempo and eliminating the need for sailors to enter mine danger areas,” noted London.
It also outlined that the USV can be deployed from shore or a mothership to detect seabed mines in collaboration with the Thales-made Towed Synthetic Aperture Multiviews (TSAM) sonar system.
“Developments in sensor technology, data analytics, and machine learning have all significantly contributed to this innovation, allowing vessels to operate either fully autonomously or remote controlled by operators in a portable operations centre,” added the MoD. “Fitted with AI automatic target recognition, these vessels will filter and refine vast amounts of data allowing professional operators to speed up the process of classifying and neutralising mines.”
The UK alone has spent £184 million on the MMCM program, with the Royal Navy set to receive four systems overall by the end of the year. The MoD also revealed that French MMCM deliveries have also taken place.
Deliveries are part of OCCAR’s MMCM Production Contract (Stage II) which follows on from an earlier Prototyping Phase (Stage 1), according to the organization. Alongside lead contractors Thales UK and Thales France, key subcontractors include Sweden’s Saab, France’s Exail Prototyping and US firm L3Harris.
Thales UK will train Royal Navy personnel on the ARIADNE boat for a “period” before the service undertakes an operational evaluation of equipment and start to “utilise MMCM to fulfil operational duties,” added the UK MoD.
According to the UK’s procurement arm, Defence Equipment and Support, the Royal Navy is committed to a further three autonomous mine hunting systems — Wilton, Sweep and Seacat — as it looks to transition away from “conventional ship-based” methods.
“The Royal Navy plans to gradually phase out conventional crewed mine hunting vessels as additional autonomous systems are delivered over the next five years or so,” said the UK MoD.
Other navies are making similar strides to the UK, with the US Navy recently rolling out a series of contract awards to advance the mine countermeasures mission package, set to deploy on its Littoral Combat Ships.
