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.