Royal Navy takes charge of its first robotic minehunter set to revolutionise the fleet
THE first of a new wave of robots – which will replace Britain’s ageing fleet of minehunters – has been delivered to the Royal Navy, with one top officer declaring: ‘The future is here.’
The cutting-edge autonomous system, which will help secure tech jobs in Portsmouth, is built to detect and destroy modern mines.
Navy top brass have insisted the new robots will reduce the risk to naval divers, who are charged with disposing of underwater ordnance.
The remotely-operated boat, controlled from either a ship or land, tows a highly-sensitive detection device to combat sea mines, protecting personnel and ships from danger.
Commodore Steve Prest, deputy director navy acquisition within the Royal Navy, said the arrival of the new drone was exciting, adding: ‘The future of mine warfare is here.
‘The Royal Navy’s mine-hunting capability programme is real; it’s happening; it’s delivering. We have a lot to learn about this transformational approach to mine warfare, but there is much, much more to come.’
Made possible under the joint Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) programme between the UK and France, the system, has been produced by Thales UK and has undergone rigorous trials with navy.
The hi-tech gear will sit alongside other MMCM systems provided through an additional £184m investment, agreed last year, and supporting around 215 jobs in the UK.
As well as Thales UK sites in Somerset and Plymouth, jobs will be sustained in the wider supply chain at L3 Harris in Portsmouth and elsewhere.
Jeremy Quin, defence procurement minister, said: ‘This new technology is a huge leap forward for the Royal Navy’s autonomous capabilities in the detection of sea mines.
‘These systems will keep our personnel out of harm’s way whilst they conduct vital operations to protect shipping lanes from these hidden threats.
‘This is just one example of how we are putting innovation at the forefront of our future strategies.’
Sea mines constitute a growing threat and users of the system will be able to detect and neutralise mines from miles away, ensuring they can keep vital sea lanes open, with much-reduced risk to ships and the lives of sailors.
Made up of an uncrewed surface vessel, towed sonar and a portable operation centre, the new mine-hunting drones are designed to eventually replace crewed current minehunters, such as the navy’s Hunt and Sandown-class ships, with autonomous systems.