Mine Hunting USV Achieves 100% Success Rate in Royal Navy Trials

Elbit Systems UK demonstrated its Seagull USV and its Mine Countermeasure toolbox sub-systems under operational conditions involving key environmental variables such as differing depths, currents and tidal streams By Caroline Rees / 05 Oct 2022

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV)

Discover cutting-edge solutions from 9 leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
Elbit Systems Seagull USV
Follow UST

Elbit Systems UK has conducted successful demonstrations of its Seagull Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) to showcase its proven autonomous mine hunting technology for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). 

The Wilton Industry Show and Experiment (WISEX) demonstrations aimed to provide MoD and industry partners with an analysis of Seagull’s mine hunting capabilities under operational conditions. 

As part of the Royal Navy’s transition towards an autonomous Mine Hunting Capability, MoD invited Elbit Systems UK to demonstrate Seagull and its Mine Countermeasure (MCM) toolbox sub-systems under operational conditions – involving key environmental variables, such as differing depths, currents and tidal streams – in UK waters in Scotland. 

The demonstrations took place in July and August 2022 and involved showcasing specific capability to provide the Royal Navy with the evidence required to inform the progress of its Mine Hunting Capability Program. Co-sponsored by Navy DEVELOP and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), the demonstrations were also supported by Dstl stakeholders. 

Elbit Systems UK Seagull USV

The demonstration area comprised two simulated minefields seeded with mine-like objects to challenge Seagull’s detection and MCM capabilities. Elbit said that despite the demanding sea state, the demonstrations were a resounding success, with the Seagull USV and its mission system payloads achieving a target detection and identification rate of 100%.  

Modular and agnostic in design, Seagull’s mission system payloads can be used to support Mine Warfare, Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, Electronic Warfare and ISR operations – providing navies with a full spectrum of autonomous operational capability. Its Mission Command Station can be operated from a mothership, from a headquarters, or transported in a mission module vehicle to a remote location onshore – as was the case during the WISEX demonstrations. 

“The great success of the Seagull trials proves that Elbit Systems UK is spearheading USV technology globally, and that our cutting-edge autonomous maritime technology offers innovative and consistent results,” said Martin Fausset, CEO of Elbit Systems UK. “These demonstrations provided the Royal Navy with the evidence necessary to inform the requirements of MoD’s program development trials, and further highlights our continued commitment to developing technology designed to safeguard our Armed Forces.” 

“The Royal Navy has established WISEX to allow industry to demonstrate their autonomous mine countermeasures systems, in the challenging naval exercise areas of the west coast of Scotland,” said Commander Ben Stait. “This demonstration is part of the Mine Hunting Capability program, which is at the forefront of next generation maritime autonomous systems. The Royal Navy is grateful for Elbit Systems UK participation and excited by the capability they demonstrated as the program develops into its next phase.” 

Find suppliers & manufacturers of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) >>

Posted by Caroline Rees Caroline co-founded Unmanned Systems Technology and has been at the forefront of the business ever since. With a Masters Degree in marketing Caroline has her finger on the pulse of all things unmanned and is committed to showcasing the very latest in unmanned technical innovation. Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Loitering Munitions to be Integrated with Trillium Drone Camera Gimbals

Trillium Engineering has secured a Phase One contract with Raytheon to supply its HD25-LV drone camera gimbal for loitering munitions, supporting operations with tactical EO/IR solutions

Feb 18, 2025
Enhancing USV Navigation with 3D Forward Looking Sonar Technology

FarSounder’s Argos series 3D Forward Looking Sonars enhance USV navigation by providing real-time underwater awareness, overcoming charting limitations, and improving safety across diverse maritime applications

Feb 18, 2025
Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Powered VTOL UAV Introduced

BlueBird Aero Systems introduces the WanderB-VTOL Mini-UAS, built for rapid deployment in any environment and powered by new PEW Fuel-Cell Technology

Feb 18, 2025
Product Spotlight: XPedite7770 High-Performance Single Board Computer

The XPedite7770 from Extreme Engineering Solutions delivers secure, high-performance computing for unmanned systems, featuring Intel® Xeon® D-1700 processors, advanced networking, and SOSA-aligned architecture

Feb 18, 2025
European Drone Battery Maker Opens U.S. Operations

Tulip Tech, a European drone battery manufacturer, is expanding into the U.S. to meet rising demand, offering advanced, high-performance power solutions for drones

Feb 18, 2025
ArduSimple NTRIP RTK Setup for High-Precision Autopilot Navigation

In this tutorial, learn how to use ArduSimple's simpleRTK receivers with Mission Planner and QGroundControl to send NTRIP RTK corrections to your autopilot for improved accuracy

Feb 18, 2025

Featured Content

Gremsy & Nokia to Showcase UAV Integration at XPONENTIAL Europe

At XPONENTIAL Europe 2025, Gremsy’s gimbal and payload technology will be paired with Nokia’s connectivity solutions, creating smarter, more efficient UAV systems

Feb 13, 2025
Military Vehicles to Feature Small Tethered UAS from Elistair

Elistair has secured a €3 million contract to equip military vehicles with tethered UAS, enhancing real-time intelligence and operational awareness

Feb 13, 2025
Ellipse Series Enhanced with Latest Firmware Upgrade

The new firmware update from SBG Systems integrates the latest World Magnetic Model (WMM) to improve navigation precision, even for first-generation Ellipse sensors

Feb 11, 2025