Atlas Elektronik to deliver minehunting AUVs to Royal Navy

Atlas Elektronik UK has received a contract from DE&S’s Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) team to supply autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) systems for the Royal Navy.

The contract, worth £32 million ($41 million), includes delivery of 3 MHC AUV systems comprising 9 vehicles in total. Under the agreement, the company will also provide a comprehensive training and support package to run for three years after the delivery.

“We are very proud the advanced mine countermeasures technology that AEUK has invested in over the years is now being provided to the RN for their flagship Mine Counter Measures (MCM) operational evaluation programme. MCM is at the heart of our business and AEUK are delighted to enhance the RN’s autonomous systems capability,” Wesley Galliver, Head of Surface Ship Systems commented.

The MHC AUV System combines the medium-sized SeaCat AUV, fitted with the latest high-resolution vision synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) and the Seebyte Neptune and Military software for advanced planning and analysis.

The firm has worked with Lidan Marine to develop a remote AUV handling system for the MHC AUV project, providing a launch and recovery system (LARS) suitable for operation from platforms such as the navy’s ARCIMS USVs and SEA Class workboats.

This delivery to the MHC team will also see Atlas Elektronik UK providing another MCM toolbox element, alongside the in-service ARCIMS uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), with their advanced minesweeping payloads and towed minehunting sonars, the company concluded.