Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASV)
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Thales has delivered the first serial production system of maritime mine countermeasure (MMCM) drones to the French Navy, as part of the Franco-British MMCM program.
The autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) reduces sailors’ exposure to danger and contributes to the security of the maritime domain. The first system delivered to the French Navy includes an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) equipped with the towed sonar TSAM for the detection and classification of naval mines.
The compact naval surface drone is designed to be air transportable, allowing for deployment within 48 hours aboard an A400M and can be embarked on the future Mine Warfare Vessel (BGDM).
Its operations can be controlled from land, from a mother ship, or from an opportunistic vessel, enabling mine countermeasure missions to be carried out while reducing crew exposure to danger.
Thales also supports the maritime mine countermeasures with its SAMDIS multi-view sonar, the portable e-POC operations centre, the M-Cube mission management system, and the Mi-Map data analysis application.
Under the SLAMF (Future Naval Mine Countermeasures System) program, France will receive six USVs in 2025—three system-of-systems, each with two USVs—alongside an updated prototype system already delivered to the French Navy. The British Royal Navy will receive four system-of-systems, each with one USV, in 2025.
The Franco-British MMCM program is led by the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) under the aegis of OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation).
Philippe Duhamel, Executive Vice-President, Defence Mission Systems, Thales, commented, “The United Kingdom and France have set an ambitious goal: to transform their mine countermeasure capabilities by adopting new disruptive operational concepts. Thales is proud to be at the heart of this transformation, which positions both nations as pioneers in autonomous naval systems. Our Group, a world leader in mine countermeasures, reaffirms its position as an innovative and reliable partner that navies can count on to develop their strategic capabilities.”
