To meet the increasing demand from navies and other professional maritime operators, ECA Group and MAURIC have developed an innovative product range enabling drones and robots to be integrated on board naval vessels. OCTOPODA is a range of mine countermeasure vessels (MCMV) specifically adapted for mine clearance missions at sea using drones and robots system.
The first two vessels in the range are the 30 m OCTOPODA 300, and the 50 m OCTOPODA 500.
OCTOPODA 300 – A comprehensive and compact solution for robotised mine clearance
The OCTOPODA 300 makes it possible to deploy a naval drone system from a vessel that is just 30 metres in length. The system consists of two A9-M AUVs, identification robots and destruction MIDS (Mine Identification and Destruction System) consisting of 2 SEASCANs and 6 K-STER Cs. These underwater robots can be deployed from OCTOPODA 300 or a 7m Rhib nested in an aft ramp.
The OCTOPODA 300 also comprises a small landing platform making it possible to deploy a IT 180 UAV lightweight drone. The design incorporates a specific hangar with direct access to the aft deck and a control centre with a bird’s eye view of the deployment zone, the objectives of which are to simplify handling of the robots and optimise operability of the entire UMISTM system.
OCTOPODA 500 – Mine clearance in high seas with a drone system that is operational in heavy seas
For navies wishing to deploy a more sophisticated configuration of the UMISTM system, MAURIC has developed a 50 m vessel, the OCTOPODA 500, making it possible to launch and recover a 12 metre INSPECTOR 120 USV from an aft ramp. By adding this USV it is possible to deploy AUVs (two A9-Ms, two SEASCANs and ten K-STER Cs) in autonomous mode, and therefore penetrate further into the minefield. The UAV landing platform is larger and therefore makes it possible to land the IT 180 in more difficult sea states.
With the development of the OCTOPODA range, MAURIC and ECA Group are proposing completely integrated solutions comprising motherships and UMISTM systems dedicated to mine warfare. MAURIC thereby demonstrates its capacity to integrate any type of naval drone (underwater, surface or air); today for mine warfare, but tomorrow for other missions such as surveillance, bathymetry, search and rescue, surveys for offshore industries or scientific missions.
