'Phenomenal' robot that can destroy mines in 'murky waters' prepped by Royal Navy for Strait of Hormuz
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It is among the plethora of cutting-edge tech being readied for the Middle East
A sophisticated remote-controlled robot that can destroy mines has been prepared for a possible mission in the Middle East.
Royal Navy divers have thoroughly tested the Video Ray Defender Viper system ahead of potential usage in the Strat of Hormuz. The strategic waterway has been littered with mines and other explosives since hostilities broke out between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition.
British forces will be joining a multinational effort to keep the strait open once conditions allow, which is expected to be when a ceasefire is agreed. The Video Ray Defender Viper is among the multitude of equipment loaded onto RFA Lyme Bay ahead of her deployment to the Middle East.
Specialists from the Diving Threat and Exploitation Group, based at Horsea Island in Portsmouth, have undergone rapid-fire training over the past few weeks to mater the system. It’s a portable submersible that can find, identify, and destroy underwater explosives. The system has already been sued by the Ukrainian forces, and it particularly designed to deal with buoyant mines that sit just below the surface of the ocean which detonate when struck by a passing ship.
Able Seaman (Diver) Charlie Rich, who has five and a half years under his belt as a clearance diver – including time in the Gulf – is among those trained to use the new kit. He’s particularly impressed by its ability to work in low-visibility conditions.
He said: “There are occasions when it is so dark, visibility is so bad that you’re literally hoping to bump into something. With this, the sonar is fantastic, so we can ‘see’ through the darkness and murkiness. The system has the potential to be phenomenal – and we still possess our fundamental skills to fall back upon if it doesn’t work for some reason and get in the water.”
On front-line operations, the divers will work in tandem with the Royal Navy’s Mine Threat and Exploitation Group who will use their leading-edge sonar systems to pinpoint the location of a suspected devices, leaving the divers to handle neutralising it. Two of the systems – it comprises the distinctive yellow/black Defender remotely operated vehicle, Viper which literally nails a demolition charge to a mine, and Tornado, a firing system which ensures the detonation takes place at a safe distance – are aboard RFA Lyme Bay.
The capabilities are controlled from a heavy-duty laptop that can be used in a small Royal Navy boat, or a command centre set up in a shipping container or compartment on a ship. Defender-Viper can be steered manually or make its own way to its target following pre-set co-ordinates. It provides constant video and sonar to the operator so the operator can see where it is.
The capability can then be moved into position to fire at the mine from a safe distance and detonate the charge. Further training with Defender-Viper will be conducted before a dozen-strong ‘mission team’ joins RFA Lyme Bay.
Lieutenant Commander James Carpenter, Commanding Officer of Delta Squadron. said: “A fundamental principle of Explosive Ordnance Disposal is to use remote means whenever possible, so if we have this tech, we need to use it.”