The solution for rallying, recovering, maintaining and launching surface drones (Launch and recovery system-LARS) developed by Belgium Naval & Robotics, Naval Group and ECA Group has been successfully tested as part of Replacement Mine Counter Measure (rMCM) program.
As informed, the industrial tests were conducted in Toulon on 13 January. A demonstration of the deployment and recovery operation of the fully remotely operated unmanned surface vehicle (USV) was carried out. The presentation of the test results took place in the presence of the Royal Belgian and Dutch navies as part of the rMCM program.
The tests brought together for the first time four subsystems designed by the consortium and allowed them to be tested in real conditions on the VN Rebel, a specially chartered vessel:
The industrial tests mobilized up to thirty consortium employees and made it possible to test this innovative technical solution up to sea state 4/5, 40 knots of wind and by day and by night, according to the company.
The new naval ships ordered by the Belgian and Dutch navies will be equipped with twenty-four of these solutions.
The analysis and processing of the information collected are expected to enable the solution to be finalized and the production of the system to be launched in the second semester of 2022.
The contract for the construction of twelve mine countermeasure (MCM) vessels of the Belgian-Dutch minehunter program was awarded in 2019. French defense contractor Naval Group held a keel-laying ceremony for the first vessel last December.