Naval Mine Warfare

US Navy to acquire more Seafox MNS

Tuesday, 15 May 2012 22:46 | Written by Administrator |

seafox02 Under contract to Lockheed Martin Corporation, Atlas North America (ATLAS NA) will deliver SeaFox mine neutralization systems as part of a system to address an urgent operational need from U.S. Navy Central Command for a more effective mine countermeasures system embarked in the Avenger-Class ships. This extends previous deliveries of the SeaFox for use with the MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopters.

Under the contract, ATLAS NA is responsible for SeaFox system delivery, testing, operation and life cycle support for three Navy Avenger-Class ships and six MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopters. All deliveries are expected to be complete within one calendar year.

Dieter Rottsieper and Volker Paltzo, Managing Directors of the Atlas Elektronik Group, state: “We are pleased that the SeaFox system has been selected for this very important contract, enabling us to continue providing undersea warfare systems for use by the U.S. Navy.”

Operation Render Safe 2011

Tuesday, 15 May 2012 23:17 | Written by Administrator |

oprendersafe01 More than 150 personnel from the Australian, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea Defence Forces are involved in Operation RENDER SAFE 2011. The ADF's enduring peace-time mission is being conducted over the period 18 October to 4 November in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.
The task is to identify, assess and make safe unexploded World War II ordnance. Operation RENDER SAFE 2011 will also involve a tasking to clear unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the Kokoda Track.

Operation RENDER SAFE is bolstered by maritime assets HMA Ships Gascoyne and Diamantina and HMNZ Ships Resolution andWellington, providing important underwater surveying capability.

Cooperation between the three participating nations will provide a great service to the people of Rabaul as well as provide Defence personnel with an opportunity to work side-by-side, whilst continuing to enhance skills in rendering unexploded ordnance safe.

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Last Updated (Tuesday, 15 May 2012 23:22)

US Navy Announce UUV

Tuesday, 01 May 2012 04:35 | Written by Administrator |

Source: General Dynamics

U.S. Navy and General Dynamics Unveil Model of Minehunting, Heavyweight, Unmanned Undersea Vehicle

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. –Representatives from the U. S. Navy's Program Executive Office, Littoral Combat Ships Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office and General Dynamics unveiled a quarter-scale model of the Surface Mine Countermeasure Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (SMCM UUV), known as "Knifefish," at the Navy League's Sea-Air-Space Exposition being held at the Gaylord National Resort. Knifefish is a heavyweight-class, minehunting, unmanned undersea vehicle designed for deployment by forward operating forces, and will be a part of the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Countermeasures Mission Package.

The SMCM UUV system will allow Navy commanders and sailors to detect and identify mines in high-clutter underwater environments without putting sailors in harm’s way, including mines that are suspended in the ocean, resting on the sea floor or buried. Additionally, it will gather environmental data that can provide intelligence support for other mine warfare systems.

Royal Australian Navy – Generational Change for Naval Mine Warfare.

Tuesday, 01 May 2012 07:09 | Written by Administrator |

sea1778-auv The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) through a number of projects are looking to make a generational change to the way it conducts naval mine warfare.

During the recent industry briefing for the DMO Projects SEA 1778 Deployable Mine Countermeasures Phase 1 and JP 1770 Rapid Environmental Assessment Phase 1 CAPT Andrew Fysh RAN, Director Littoral Warfare Sub-Program (DLWS), outlined to requirement to acquire autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to take over much of the roles currently performed by the fleet of Houn-class mine hunters.

It was also made clear at the briefing, the navy saw these two projects as providing useful input to the acquisition of the Offshore Combatant Vessel (OCV) through Project SEA 1180, especially in the context of the OCV stated role within mine warfare and hydrographic survey.

The recently released SEA 1778 Phase 1 Preliminary Operational Concepts Document (POCD) states the aim of this phase is the following.

“…to provide a Task Group with an initial Mine Countermeasures capability to retain freedom of manoeuvre within a mine threat environment.

Project SEA 1778 Phase 1 Deployable Mine Countermeasures will provide deployed maritime forces with the capability to undertake mine Detection, Classification, Identification, Avoidance and where necessary Neutralisation.”