Belgian and Dutch Navies to Evaluate Robotic Synthetic Aperture Sonar

On 6 June, Kraken Sonar announced that its AQUAPIX Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) will feature on three unmanned maritime platforms during a forthcoming mine countermeasures (MCM) exercise to be conducted by the Belgian and Dutch Navies.

The two navies are collaborating in a joint replacement programme for their TRIPARTITE minehunters, in service since the 1980s and are taking the opportunity of the programme to evaluate how best to improve operational performance and safety for their MCM requirements, using unmanned systems.

The exercise, which will involve unmanned systems from three different contractors, will take place in mid-June off the Belgian coast. Kraken will be supporting AQUAPIX installations on all three systems.

“The Belgian and Netherlands’ Navies project to replace their MCM capabilities creates a significant opportunity for Kraken’s sensors and underwater robotic systems. This project provides guidelines for future mine countermeasures capability and opens the possibility for other countries to join the Belgian-Netherlands initiative,” Karl Kenny, Kraken’s President & CEO, observed.