Sagem-led consortium unveils anti-piracy system
The Autoprotection consortium has unveiled its new fully-integrated anti-piracy system called BlueDome at the Euromaritime exhibition, held on 3-5 February in Paris, France. Sagem leads and coordinates this French consortium.
BlueDome is a non-lethal and graduated anti-piracy system for commercial ships, offering successive protective barriers during all the attack phases.
These barriers include long-range detection of small vessels, their behaviour analysis, a day/night optronic turret for identification and remote deterrents such as acoustic devices and light projectors. They also include smoke grenades and water cannons as anti-boarding measures and ballistic protection of the vulnerable locations and areas of crew members.
The system automatically analyses the situation and also manages all barrier systems and devices. Crew members can monitor the situation and approve recommended actions through a tablet interface.
The system's effectors and sensors can also be remotely operated from any secure area on the ship. BlueDome is being demonstrated at present in an at-sea trial on board the SeaOwl-owned training vessel, VN – Partisan.
The consortium also includes Thales, SeaOwl, Sofresud, Lacroix, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Maritime, Eca Group, Bureau Veritas and Amefo.
More from Naval Warfare
-
What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
-
Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration
The UK Royal Navy’s rapid procurement of uncrewed platforms aligns with the force’s strategic shift towards a fleet better equipped to handle modern threats.
-
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
-
How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China
The offensive against Iran could impact training and maintenance cycles and accelerate the degradation of the US arsenal on top of depleting Washington’s stockpiles.
-
UK Royal Navy explores modular counter-drone capabilities for future hybrid fleet
The UK MoD is scoping out systems to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems, with a focus on low-cost modularity and speed to field.