UK’s Royal Navy trials autonomous mine hunting capability
The Apollo mine counter measures vessel was launched into the Firth of Clyde. (Photo: UK MoD)
The trial tested the Apollo uncrewed mine counter measures vessel in challenging Scottish waters to ensure its resilience.
The UK’s Royal Navy (RN) has tested an uncrewed small boat, the Apollo, as an autonomous minesweeping and countermeasures option, to avoid putting human sailors at risk.
The Apollo maritime mine counter measure (MMCM) vessel was designed to be deployed from a larger ship and operated as an autonomous mine hunting tool for the navies of the UK and France. The agreement will be managed by the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), a European intergovernmental organisation that represents Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.
The Apollo was deployed in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, which has both significant water depth and coastal currents to challenge any vessel. It was launched from Defence Marine Services’ ship SD Northern River.
Related Articles
Royal Navy sails autonomous RIB in UK waters for the first time
The Apollo, manufactured by L3 Harris under a contract with Thales (France), was delivered to the UK as a concept demonstrator in 2021. Following its Scottish trial, the vessel has been returned to Thales for retrofit and upgrades ahead of being transferred back to the Royal Navy in 12 months’ time.
Commander Daniel Herridge, commanding officer of the RN’s Mine & Threat Exploration Group, said the trial was “another step in the paradigm shift of delivering mine counter measures capability in a completely new way”.
Andy Lapsley, mine hunting capability (MHC) team leader at Defence Equipment & Support, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, added: “This trial successfully demonstrated the potential for the maritime mine counter measures capability to be deployed flexibly and at pace for the Royal Navy, demonstrating our commitment to advancing mine counter measures technology and commercial platform integration.”
The trial follows hard on the heels of the RN’s first trial in UK waters of a remotely controlled and autonomous rigid hull boat, the Autonomous Pacific 24. The results of that trial found that the uncrewed vessel could go faster in rougher sea states than a crewed vessel, opening up opportunities for the use of autonomous vessels in scenarios of significant threat.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
-
![Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America]()
Peru partnership may serve as a template for South Korean naval exports into South America
With a growing pipeline of naval modernisation programmes in South America, South Korean companies could be set to expand their presence in the region as recent contract wins highlight growing collaboration.
