USN orders more Archerfish mine neutralisers

BAE Systems has been awarded a contract worth up to £87 million ($111.69 million) by the US DoD to manufacture and deliver Archerfish mine neutralisers for the USN.

The company announced on 21 September that this is its fourth consecutive Archerfish contract since 2003.

Deliveries will be completed by 2027.

The contract also includes training support for the USN, plus the supply of ancillary mine neutralisation equipment.

Archerfish is a remote-controlled underwater mine neutraliser that can be launched and operated from a surface ship, helicopter or UUV. It is used by USN MH-60S Seahawk helicopter squadrons as part of the AN/ASQ-235 airborne mine neutralisation capability.

As an open architecture C2 system, it that can be operated on its own or integrated into a higher-level command management structure.  Wireless communications mean it can be deployed remotely.

A fibre optic data link with Archerfish relays real-time, high resolution, low-light video and high-frequency sonar pictures of targets of interest from its onboard sensors.  The design reduces the time it takes to identify and neutralise targets, meaning clearance missions can be completed more quickly.

BAE Systems added that work is underway to enhance Archerfish; examples include an automatic target recognition function enabling mines to be neutralised in waves. 

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