The Royal Navy has received its second uncrewed mine hunting vessel, Adventure.
Adventure joins Ariadne, already in service, at the core of an Anglo-French collaboration embracing the white heat of technology to deal with the threat of mines.
The vessel was handed over to the Royal Navy at Turnchapel in Plymouth, with Commodore Michael Wood , the Senior Responsible Owner for the UK program, accepting it on behalf of the Royal Navy. The program is delivered by the international group OCCAR (Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d’Armement/Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation).
Adventure is classed as a ‘primary system’ in the Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) program. The boat is capable of carrying a payload comprising other uncrewed survey/mine warfare systems, such as the SeaCat, which is used to map the seabed, allowing operators to identify and subsequently neutralize underwater threats.
The ‘primary system’ is connected with a portable operations center from where mine warfare experts direct the mission. With the addition of a dedicated remotely operated vehicle (ROV), the system also provides the capability to conduct mine identification and mine neutralisation training at sea.