- £10 million deal with Thales UK announced
today furthers UK's hybrid navy work and keeps
sailors safe.
- New remote command centres allow for operation of
multiple unmanned systems simultaneously to detect
and neutralise undersea mines.
- Significant investment supports over 200 jobs and
further boosts defence as an engine economic growth.
More Royal Navy sailors will be kept out of harm's
way when detecting and clearing sea mines thanks to new
technology giving them greater than ever control over
autonomous equipment.
To tackle the issue of remotely controlling underwater mine
detection and neutralising the threat from a safe
distance, the Ministry of Defence
has today awarded a £10 million contract to
Thales UK for Remote Control
Centres (RCC) which will allow personnel
to quickly deploy command centres and control
autonomous Mine Hunting Systems anywhere in the world.
The contract is a major step forward in delivering the 2025
Strategic Defence Review's vision for greater use of autonomous
systems.
Thales's significant overall investment in UK mine
countermeasures has sustained over 200 highly skilled jobs -
particularly at its Somerset, Stockport and Plymouth
sites – making defence an engine for growth.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, MP said:
"The threat to the UK is growing, driven by global instability,
Russian aggression, and a greater willingness of states and
hostile actors to target our critical infrastructure.
“By embracing autonomous maritime technology, the Royal Navy is
pioneering innovation to help keep our sailors safe at sea. This
is backed by a UK defence industry delivering world-class
capabilities that exemplify how defence acts as an engine for
growth.”
The programme follows the announcement of the UK's Atlantic
Bastion initiative, which was central to the Strategic Defence
Review, and combines autonomous vessels and AI with warships
and aircraft to create a highly advanced hybrid force
to protect undersea cables and pipelines from Russian undersea
threats in the North Atlantic.
This latest development
will assist the Royal Navy's Mine Counter
Measures capability transformation, which is critical to
national security, and builds on the Mine Hunting Capability
(MHC) programme.
The RCC contract expands on the existing Thales
Portable Operations Centre (POC) already delivered to the Royal
Navy, which are compact and rapidly deployable command systems
for naval mine hunting operations, using AI-powered software to
plan, control and analyse drone missions from ship to
shore.
The new Thales UK system takes this capability a
step further, enabling the command and control of multiple
autonomous platforms simultaneously to detect
the initial threat of a mine in the sea and either
neutralising that threat from a safe distance or avoiding it
altogether.
Paul Armstrong, MD Under Water Systems, Thales UK,
said:
"Thales is proud to deliver this ground-breaking capability that
will revolutionise Royal Navy mine hunting operations.
Our expertise in integrating complex autonomous systems
will create a unified command platform that unlocks the full
potential of Maritime Autonomous Systems. This contract
reinforces our commitment to supporting the Royal Navy with
world-class technology whilst creating high-value jobs across our
UK operations and supply chain.
Royal Navy quote, Jon Reed-Beviere, Navy Command
Programme Director:
"The new Remote Command Centres will give Royal Navy personnel
unprecedented command and control over our autonomous mine
hunting systems. This integrated approach allows us
to operate multiple unmanned platforms simultaneously
and integrate new capability in the future, dramatically
increasing our effectiveness whilst reducing risk to our
sailors. It represents a paradigm shift in how we deliver
mine countermeasures capability."
MHC is the Royal Navy's vanguard programme for the adoption and
fielding of Maritime Autonomous Systems
and represents the first step on the path towards the
"Hybrid Navy" outlined under Atlantic Bastion – a key part
of the Strategic Defence Review.
Thales will work collaboratively with other MHC suppliers,
including TKMS Atlas UK, SeeByte, and QinetiQ, under MOD
direction to integrate current and future MAS and software into
the new RCCs.
