New Royal Navy USV to Neutralize Mines

The Royal Navy now has taken delivery of a 12m uncrewed surface vessel (USV), called Ariadne, that will be used to detect mines.

This advanced technology is expected to increase operational tempo, and it eliminates the needs for sailors to enter mine danger areas.

Royal Navy Motor Boat (RNMB) Ariadne can be deployed from a harbor or mother ship to scour the seabed for mines, using Thales Towed Synthetic Aperture Multiviews systems.

The vessel can operate either fully autonomously or remote-controlled by operations in the portable remote command center.

Fitted with AI automatic target recognition, Ariadne can filter and refine vast amounts of data allowing operators to speed up the process of classifying and neutralizing mines.

Following the delivery of RNMB Ariadne, Royal Navy personnel will train under Thales’ guidance, before independently conducting an evaluation of the equipment and beginning to use the mine counter measure systems on operational duties.