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New anti-mine technology delivered to French and Royal Norwegian navies

11th February 2025 - 08:22 GMT | by Tony Fyler in Swansea

RSS

Drone-based mine counter measures will soon be in place in the form of USVs for the French and British navies. (Photo: Thales)

Thales and Patria are among the companies to have supplied European navies with systems to combat the growing sea mine threat.

The French Navy has taken possession of the world’s first mine counter measures system based around uncrewed vehicles from Thales.

As part of the Franco-British Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MCMM) programme, the drones take human operators out of potential danger zones while maintaining effective mine counter measures.

The first system delivered to the French Navy included an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) equipped with a towed sonar, which allowed the USV to detect and classify naval mines.

The system could be operated either from the safety of the land, from a mother ship, or even from an opportunistic vessel. With autonomous functioning

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