Thales demonstrates mine neutralisation capability of remotely operated underwater vehicle on Maritime Mine Countermeasures (MMCM) programme
13/09/2023
In the latest milestone on the Franco-British Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) programme, Thales has successfully completed an at-sea demonstration of the ability of the worlds first fully integrated drone-based mine countermeasures system to locate, identify and neutralise sea mines.
This system of systems uses the fully proven M-Cube mission management system (MMS) to integrate and control multiple uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles equipped with high-performance sonars and other systems, and will provide the UK Royal Navy and the French Navy with the worlds first complete drone-based mine countermeasures capability.
Thales is a world leader in uncrewed mine countermeasures. The latest demonstration confirms the companys role as a reliable innovation partner empowering naval forces to develop their strategic capabilities today and into the future.
During sea trials conducted remotely from the command centre in Brest, France, Thales has successfully demonstrated the performance of the final component of its innovative mine countermeasures system - the remotely operated underwater vehicle - and its ability to neutralise sea mines. The MMCM programme relies on the very latest developments in autonomous technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and uncrewed systems to handle challenging operational scenarios as defined by the French Navy and the Royal Navy. The first two prototype MMCM systems were delivered incrementally following at-sea qualification in conditions up to and including sea state 41. Since the end of 2021, the Navies have been conducting operational evaluations, and will take delivery of the six series-produced systems in 2024 and 2025.
As prime contractor and lead systems integrator on the MMCM programme, and working with an extensive network of partners, Thales has further consolidated its global leadership in drone-based mine countermeasures.
The successful trials represent the latest milestone on the programme. Conducted with representatives of the French Navy, the French defence procurement agency, the Royal Navy, the UK Ministry of Defence and OCCAr, the sea trials demonstrated the systems ability to relocate and identify sea mines, and the remotely operated underwater vehicle successfully installed exercise charges on a bottom mine and a moored mine2 so that the neutralization cycle could be completed. The demonstrations were conducted in realistic conditions at sea, with the Thales operations centre in Brest controlling the systems remotely and performing the functions of the Portable Operation Centre (POC) with the support of personnel from the Marine nationale.
This latest technological achievement is a further endorsement of Thaless expertise in naval systems engineering, high-performance sonars, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and autonomous technologies, and demonstrates the ability of its M-Cube mission management system to integrate a range of different types of sub-systems. It promises to redefine the mine countermeasures concept of operations by ensuring that naval personnel remain outside the mine danger area. Human operators rely on advanced systems to detect, classify, locate, identify and neutralise even the most sophisticated and best concealed mine threats with a high level of precision and reliability. A latest-generation processing and visualisation system powered by artificial intelligence algorithms performs real-time (in-stride) and/or post-mission analysis of the sonar data.
Integration of the first series-produced subsystems within the overall system of systems has begun at the Brest site, with delivery to the Navies scheduled for early 2024. These subsystems include uncrewed surface vehicles deploying either the TSAM towed array sonar or the remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) for mine identification and neutralisation. Mission preparation, monitoring, control and evaluation are conducted by operators in the Portable Operation Centre (POC) or the Shore Operation Centre (SOC).
Ever since the contract was signed in 2015, our teams and partners have been investing their skills, energy and passion to ensure that Thales can step up to the technological challenges of this extraordinary programme. We are fully committed to providing the French Navy and the Royal Navy with the most innovative technologies in order to protect their strategic assets and keep naval personnel out of harms way. These latest milestones offer further proof of our unflagging determination to meet these goals. Gwendoline Blandin-Roger, Vice President, Underwater Systems, Thales.
1 The Douglas sea scale (also called the international sea and swell scale) is used to estimate the roughness of the sea for navigation. The scale has two codes: one for estimating the sea state, the other for describing the swell of the sea. Sea state 4 (moderate) corresponds to wave heights of 1.25-2.50 metres.
2 Moored mines are deployed when the water is too deep for bottom mines. They comprise the mine case, an anchor, and an anchor line that determines the depth of immersion.
Documents
20230913_PR_Thales demonstrates mine neutralisation capability of remotely operated underwater vehicle on Maritime Mine Countermeasures (MMCM) programme.pdf
Contact
Camille Heck, Thales, Media Relations Land & Naval Defence
+33 (0)6 73 78 33 63 camille.heck@thalesgroup.com
Alice Pruvot, Group and Innovation
+33 7 70 27 11 37 alice.pruvot@thalesgroup.com
04 Oct 2023
Thales closes deal on Tesserent, strengthening its global cybersecurity business
Read more
02 Oct 2023
Thales announces a new appointment to the Board of Directors
Read more
29 Sep 2023
Thales Alenia Space celebrates 60 years of expertise and innovation in Belgium
Read more
LINK: | https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/defence/press_release/thales-... |
See more stories from thales |
More from Thales
07/11/2024
Celebrating Ethiopian Airlines delivery of the first A350-1000 in Africa equipped with Thales's AVANT Up IFE
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Ethiopian Airlines is the 1st Airbus A350-1000 i...
07/11/2024
Thales and Bleuet de France: a partnership for solidarity and recognition
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales, a global leader in advanced technologies specialising in Defence, Aerospace & Space, and Cybersecurity & Digital Identit...
06/11/2024
Thales and FEBUS Optics sign strategic co-development agreement to protect critical undersea infrastructure
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales has concluded an agreement with FEBUS Opt...
05/11/2024
Thales to empower JetZero's innovative aircraft for safe and eco-friendly flights
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The aviation industry has committed to achieving...
04/11/2024
Thales: Launch of the 2024 Employee Share Ownership Plan
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) announces the launch of its 2024 employee share ownership plan, running from Monday 4 November to Fr...
04/11/2024
Thales introduces CoastShield, a coastal surveillance system solution enabling nations to ensure coastal protection and safe maritime operations
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn CoastShield is a modular and scalable advanced c...
04/11/2024
Thales AI developments enhance operational performance of maritime mine countermeasures
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn At the Euronaval exhibition at Paris Nord Villep...
04/11/2024
Thales's Naval DRAKON solution enhances interoperability and secure connectivity for naval forces
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn With the return of high-intensity conflicts and ...
31/10/2024
Thales' Suite of IFE Accessibility SolutionsWins Prestigious Crystal Cabin Award
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The Crystal Cabin Award Association recognized T...
29/10/2024
A NEW SATELLITE AGREEMENT TO STRENGTHEN THE PAN-AFRICAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN FRANCE AND MOROCCO
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn French President Emmanuel Macron set to meet wit...
28/10/2024
Thales and BCG Announce Partnership to Enhance Cyber Resilience for Large Companies
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) have an...
28/10/2024
Qatar Airways Signs Agreement with Thales to Equip A321 NX Fleet with Award Winning FlytEDGE IFE System
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Qatar Airways and Thales have signed an agreemen...
24/10/2024
Thales and the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics set a world record in the field of nuclear fusion
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Developed in collaboration with the Max Planck I...
23/10/2024
Thales reports its order intake and sales as of September 30, 2024
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Order intake: 15.6 billion, up 23% on an organic basis1 ( 26% total change) Sales: 14.1 billion, up 6.2% on an organic basis ...
21/10/2024
AI-driven Attacks Targeting Retailers Ahead of the Holiday Shopping Season
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Imperva, a Thales company, the cybersecurity leader that protects critical applications, APIs, and data, anywhere at scale, warn...
17/10/2024
Thales makes first shipment of 300 night vision goggles for French Army under Bi-NYX contract
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn French forces have received the first 300 Thales...
16/10/2024
Thales demonstrates its capacity to deploy drone swarms with unparalleled levels of autonomy using AI
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On 16 October 2024, in the first flight tests of...
16/10/2024
ESA orders 6 additional radar-based satellites to Thales Alenia Space for IRIDE Earth observation constellation
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn This new batch of radar satellites will also be ...
16/10/2024
German Armed Forces receive final Ground Alerter 10 sense and warn camp protection system
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On 16 October 2024, Thales officially handed ove...
15/10/2024
Thales radios successfully tested by the German Armed Forces to be deployed within the NATO enhanced Forward Presence
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The German Armed Forces conducted operational te...
15/10/2024
KNDS selects Thales Power Systems Solution for the Leopard 2 A8
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn KNDS awarded Thales a contract to deliver compact, programable and scalable High-Power Solid-State Power Distribution Boards (SS...
15/10/2024
Thales Alenia Space signs a contract with OHB to develop two radar instruments for ESA's 10th exciting new Earth Explorer Harmony mission
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Leveraging its longstanding experience in radar-...
14/10/2024
ESPRIT module for Lunar Gateway orbital outpost set for a significant upgrade
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales Alenia Space and ESA sign contract amendment to extend and optimize ESPRIT module Milan, October 14, 2024 - Thales Aleni...
09/10/2024
Thales to supply handheld thermal imagers to the Canadian Army
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The Thales Sophie Ultima long-range handheld thermal imagers have been selected by the Canadian Armed Forces, the first contract...
09/10/2024
Adani Airport Holdings Limited and Thales Forge Strategic Partnership to Improve Airport Operations and Passenger Experience in India
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn This strategic collaboration includes a fully in...
08/10/2024
Thales announces the distribution of an interim dividend and the reduction of its share capital by cancellation of treasury shares
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The Board of directors of Thales (Euronext Paris...
08/10/2024
Hera planetary defence mission successfully launched
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Hera aims to confirm if it is possible to deflect a hazardous asteroid on a collision course with the Earth, as a repeatable str...
07/10/2024
Thales to bring its expertise in advanced air mobility to the North Dakota Unmanned Autonomous Systems Council
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales, the global high technology leader and in...
02/10/2024
Empowering drones to enhance naval operations: Thales successfully demonstrates latest innovations during Portuguese Naval military exercise
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn For the third year in a row, Thales, worldwide l...
18/09/2024
Thales contributes to the production of seven additional sections of the SAMP/TNG for the French Air and Space Forces
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Thales As announced on the 17 September 2024 ...
18/09/2024
Vulnerable APIs and Bot Attacks Costing Businesses up to $186 Billion Annually
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn API insecurity and automated abuse by bots responsible for up to 11.8% of cyber events and losses globally Bot-related security...
17/09/2024
Thales Australia's Lithgow Arms partners with Vbenfabrikken to establish Danish small arms industrial capability
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On 17 September 2024, Thales Australia and Denma...
17/09/2024
Thales joins the CAC 40 ESG index
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn The inclusion of Thales in this index reflects the Groups accelerating progress in terms of social and environmental responsibil...
16/09/2024
International ID Day: Thales stands up for a legal and trusted identity for everyone.
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn On the International Identity Day ID Day', ...
13/09/2024
Alaska awards Thales Driver's License, ID Card contract with next generation security
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Alaska residents will be the first in the U.S. t...
10/09/2024
Appointment at Thales in the UK
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Alex Cresswell has expressed his wish to step back from his executive role as Chairman and CEO of Thales in the UK. Therefore, P...
05/09/2024
Thales to lead DECOR research project to test solutions for lowering the environmental impact of flight operations
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Working together to reduce the environmental imp...
03/09/2024
Thales and WB Group sign a Frame Agreement on Strategic Cooperation in the defence sector
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pascale SOURISSE, Thales International, and Piot...
03/09/2024
Thales i WB Group podpisay ramowe porozumienie o wsppracy strategicznej w sektorze obronnym
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pascale SOURISSE, Thales International, and Piot...
03/09/2024
Thales in Belgium and Polska Amunicja sign a MoU to collaborate on the production of 70mm rockets
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pawel Poncyljusz, Polska Amunicja, Magdalena Niz...
03/09/2024
Thales Belgium i Polska amunicja podpisay list intencyjny o wsppracy przy produkcji rakiet 70 mm
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pawel Poncyljusz, Polska Amunicja, Magdalena Niz...
03/09/2024
Thales and PIT-RADWAR (PGZ Group) to cooperate on radar technologies
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magdalena NIZIK, Thales Poland, Pascale SOURISSE, Thales International, Marek BOREJKO, PGZ PITRADWAR - Thales Thales, a glo...
03/09/2024
Thales i PIT-RADWAR (Grupa PGZ) podejm wspprac w zakresie technologii radarowych
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magdalena NIZIK, Thales Poland, Pascale SOURISSE, Thales International, Marek BOREJKO, PGZ PITRADWAR - Thales Thales, globa...
29/08/2024
Thales to present modern air defence technologies at the MSPO fair in Kielce
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn One of the key air defence solutions Thales will present at MSPO this year is the GM200 Multi-Mission family air surveillance an...
29/08/2024
Thales zaprezentuje nowoczesne technologie obrony powietrznej na targach MSPO w Kielcach
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Jednym z kluczowych rozwi za obrony powietrznej...
21/08/2024
Thales and L&T Technology Services expand collaboration to provide innovative business models to customers
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn New contract builds on 20-year relationship with...