Royal Navy moves a step closer to deploying autonomous mine-hunting tech on front-line ops

The Royal Navy has taken a step closer to deploying autonomous mine-hunting technology on front-line operations after a successful trial with an autonomous boat in Scotland.

As disclosed, the trial was conducted in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, and the vessel Apollo, a small uncrewed boat equipped with a mine-hunting kit, was launched from SD Northern River, a Defence Marine Services’ ship.

The goal was to prove that the boat could be used from a commercial vessel, which could be an option in some operational scenarios.

Ultimately, the successful trial in a challenging environment means the Royal Navy will now take full delivery of Apollo once final upgrades are fitted by Thales, having so far been used as a concept demonstrator over the last three years.

“Building on previous success this has been another step in the paradigm shift of delivering Mine Counter Measures capability in a completely new way, harnessing technology and building on the skills of our people to continue to deliver world leading capability,” Commander Daniel Herridge, the Commanding Officer of the Royal Navy’s Mine & Threat Exploitation Group, said.

“Utilising the MMCM system in the SD Northern River, the team has operated prototype and demonstrator equipment with improved sensors and effectors from a Vessel of Opportunity to enhance sustainability and reach to this rapidly evolving concept of capability delivery.”

Apollo comes under the Maritime Mine Counter Measure (MMCM) program that aims to provide “advanced autonomous mine hunting equipment” to the Royal Navy and France’s Marine Nationale through an agreement managed by the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR).

The vessel was manufactured by American tech company L3 Harris under a contract with Thales (France) and delivered to the UK as a concept demonstrator in 2021.

Following this successful trial, Apollo has been handed back to Thales for retrofit and upgrades ahead of being handed to the Royal Navy in 12 months.

The total contract value for the UK and France is €430 million, of which £184 million is from the UK.

“This trial, which successfully demonstrated the potential for the Maritime Mine Counter Measures capability to be deployed flexibly and at pace for the Royal Navy, is a result of years of dedicated effort and collaboration by the MHC team, demonstrating our commitment to advancing mine countermeasures technology and commercial platform integration,” Andy Lapsley, DE&S MHC Team Leader, concluded.

To recall, Royal Navy recently tested a crewless boat in UK waters for the first time. A Pacific 24 rigid-inflatable craft, Autonomous PACific (APAC), was both remotely and autonomously piloted from experimentation ship XV Patrick Blackett while the pair sailed off the coast of Portsmouth.

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