Click here - to select or create a menu

Naval News

DEFEA 2023
  • News
  • Event News
    • DSEI Japan 2023
    • NAVDEX 2023
    • SNA 2023
    • Euronaval 2022
    • Indo Pacific 2022
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Advertising
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Home» Event News» DSEI 2021»DSEI 2021 : Raytheon, AEUK to demonstrate autonomous mine warfare system to Royal Navy
IMDEX Asia 2023
AN/AQS-20C mock-up showcased at DSEI 2021

DSEI 2021 : Raytheon, AEUK to demonstrate autonomous mine warfare system to Royal Navy

Raytheon has partnered with ATLAS ELEKTRONIK UK (AEUK) to demonstrate a world leading Mine Countermeasures System with the AQS-20C advanced minehunting sonar system and the ATLAS ELEKTRONIK UK ARCIMS intelligent Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) at the heart of the system capability.

Nathan Gain 16 Sep 2021

Raytheon plans to demonstrate the solution developed with AEUK in October off the coast of Scotland for the Royal Navy. The demonstration will continue next year as part of an event called “Wilton Industry Show and Experiment for Mine Counter Measures”, or WISE-X. According to a notice issued in May 2021, the WISE-X trials will take place March to September 2022.

Conducted in the Clyde, WISE-X will offer the industry an opportunity to showcase capabilities for the Royal Navy’s Mine countermeasures and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) Block 2 step. Launched in 2014, MHC calls for the delivery of a fully autonomous minehunting capability in the first years of the 2030s.

AQS-20C is the Programme of Record for the United States Navy’s mine hunting capability embarked in the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). The sensor provides simultaneous coverage of the water column and ocean bottom at an optimum tow speed for Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) performance and mine hunting mission management. 

Raytheon Missiles & Defense already demonstrated the AQS-20C sonar mine-hunting system in an exercise at the Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island for the United Kingdom and other potential international customers. 

With four separate sonars in a compact, lightweight and hydro-dynamically stable towed body, the sensor package features market-leading SAS signal processing that generates identification-quality acoustic images using advanced computer algorithms.

Two synthetic aperture sonars provide acoustic identification in all water conditions, while a wideband forward-looking sonar simultaneously hunts mines. A digital gap-filler sonar detects mines directly under the towed body. This technology enables real-time detection and classification against the full spectrum of threat mines including bottom mines, buoyant mines, and near-surface mines simultaneously. 

 “The AQS-20C covers more of the water space in a shorter space of time than any other system,” said Frank Linkous, associate director for undersea warfare systems, Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “This system dramatically reduces clearance timelines for the MCM mission commander, restoring freedom of manoeuvre for naval forces.” 

If the AQS-20C detects a mine, mine counter-measures forces can neutralize it with a Barracuda – a semi-autonomous unmanned underwater vehicle that identifies and destroys mines. Barracuda, developed by Raytheon Missiles & Defense, is expected to be deployed by 2026.

“This is a revolutionary approach,” Linkous said in a previous press release. “Rather than having to detect, classify and neutralize sequentially, with time lags in between, MCM (mine counter-measure) forces will be able to find the mines and neutralize them – all in the same mission.”

The AQS-20C can be successfully operated from helicopters, ships, RHIBs and unmanned and autonomous surface platforms. Deployment and recovery systems have been developed and delivered to allow autonomous deployment of the towed sonar from the US Navy’s

AEUK’s ARCIMS USV recently demonstrated AN-AQS/20C launch and recovery capability (AEUK picture)

The ARCIMS USV offers mission package capacity, stability and speed in challenging environmental conditions. The platform which includes advanced COLREGs aware Sense & Avoid behaviours is in-service with the Royal Navy and has achieved Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) approval to operate uncrewed. With its containerised C3 system the Royal Navy has been able to demonstrate innovative uncrewed and autonomous technologies from multiple suppliers. 

The system has the flexibility to adapt to individual customer’s requirements for their own environmental and threat assessments. The system can be transported by air using the air-qualified towed wheeled cradle. 

“AEUK is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Raytheon UK to demonstrate the further flexibility of the ARCIMS USV, and it’s C3, in deploying and operating the AQS-20C,” said Wesley Galliver, head of AEUK’s Surface Ship Systems Division. “Our modular platforms can re-role between multiple MCM and other mission payloads, providing a true toolbox capability for the Naval user.”

Atlas Elektronik DSEI DSEI 2021 MCM USV Mine Warfare Minesweeper Naval Mine Warfare Raytheon USV 2021-09-16
Tags Atlas Elektronik DSEI DSEI 2021 MCM USV Mine Warfare Minesweeper Naval Mine Warfare Raytheon USV
Facebook Twitter Stumble linkedin Pinterest More
SAS 2023

Authors

Posted by : Nathan Gain
Nathan is based in Namur, Belgium. He holds an MA in modern history with a minor in international relations from the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL – Belgium). Fascinated by military history he naturally turned to the defense sector after graduating and is particularly interested in Northern European and Belgian defense issues as well as in anything related to naval aviation.

Related Articles

Russia repels Ukraine’s drone attack on Sevastopol

Russia repels Ukraine’s drone attack on Sevastopol

Tayfun Ozberk 23 Mar 2023
According to several OSINT reports, Ukraine has launched a new drone attack on the Sevastopol naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
DSEI Japan 2023: MHI Showcases Whale USV Development

DSEI Japan 2023: MHI Showcases Whale USV Development

Xavier Vavasseur 15 Mar 2023
At DSEI Japan 2023, the defense exhibition which opened its doors today near Tokyo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) showcased for the first time its "Whale" unmanned surface vessel (USV).
Australia receives first Ocius Bluebottle USV

Australia receives first Ocius Bluebottle USV

Naval News Staff 07 Mar 2023
The Australian Minister for Defence Industry has welcomed the arrival of the first Ocius BlueBottle Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) for the Australian Defence Force.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Legal / Privacy Policy
About Us
Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 Naval News
All Rights Reserved