Feature 5 | MINE COUNTERMEASURES


France plots route to new unmanned MCM capability


A research and technology demonstration programme being managed by France’s Direction générale de l’armement (DGA) is seeking to de-risk a future ofoard mine countermeasures (MCM) system based on networked autonomous vehicles.


Sterenn Du is to be used as a testbed to assess the practicality of remote, fully automated launch and recovery of unmanned vehicles and sensors.


and a force that has over the years demonstrated its willingness to put itself right at the forefront of mine warfare technology. Tis is perhaps best illustrated by its


T


willingness to embrace the potential offered by robotic vehicles for mine detection, classification, identification and disposal; it introduced the PAP remotely operated vehicle to service for mine identification and disposal in the early 1970s; fielded the Propelled Variable Depth Sonar in the late 1990s as part of the Eridan class minehunter upgrade; and latterly introduced the DUBM-44 towed synthetic aperture sonar for survey


Warship Technology May 2011


he Marine Nationale is regarded as one of


the world’s most proficient MCM practitioners,


operations in the deterrent submarine transit routes in and out of Brest. However, there is today a widespread


recognition that MCM is on the cusp of a revolution. While today’s dedicated low-signature manned MCM vessels are highly capable, they are also slow, expensive, offer little versatility outside of their core role, and are required to venture into mined areas to prosecute their mission. To overcome these shortfalls, the future


vision sees a shift away from current platform-centric methods towards distributed, network-based architectures that enable a stand-off command- and-control platform to manage mine detection, localisation, classification and disposal from a safe position. Te


ultimate aim is to take the man out of the minefield. Following a series of pre-concept and


feasibility studies, the DGA has developed a bold vision of the future known as the Système de Lutte Anti-Mines - Futur (SLAM-F). This projected capability envisages the use of unmanned surface vehicle (USV) ‘taxis’ deployed from a ‘mother’ platform well outside the mine danger area.


Capability requirements According to the DGA, the capability requirement


for SLAM-F has been


shaped by a series of interrelated drivers: emerging capability gaps arising from new, more sophisticated and stealthy threats (particularly the latest


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