Test Readiness Review Imminent
In 2019, the Belgian and Dutch navies contracted Belgium Naval & Robotics, a consortium of Naval Group and ECA (now Exail) to supply six 3rd-generation mine countermeasures vessel (MCMV) to each service, plus approx. 100 drones for MCM operations. Delivery is due to commence in late 2024.
As development continues, Exail is now approaching test readiness review for the Toolbox at the end of this year, in order to ensure that, when the relevant drone systems are delivered, they will be operational, compliant with requirements and that operators and crews will be trained and documented to make optimum use of them.
The customer is involved at each stage of the qualification process of the tools and their Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS). Sea trials of prototype vehicles will take place in the next three months to test the new functionalities of the A18-M Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). Prototypes of the LARS and the Inspector 125 Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) are currently undergoing sea trials to test all required functionalities and to improve their operation.
Given the dimension of this programme, and the expectations regarding its deliverables, Exail is manufacturing prototypes of each robotic autonomous system composing the Toolbox to verify the functionality and performance of the systems, and to prepare for system qualification and acceptance with the customer respecting the overall schedule.
The prototypes include:
- The Inspector USV 125 – in the water for a year, being used to develop the MCM Platform LARS system with Naval Group, A18 and T18 LARS systems and to work on integration of new sensors, including the FLS 5 Obstacle Avoidance Sonar;
- The A18-M AUV for mine detection – including the UMISAS 120 Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS);
- T18 – the towed sonar based on the A18-M and its UMISAS 240 SAS;
- SEASCAN MK2 and K-STER C Mine Identification and Disposal Systems (MIDS) – equipped with new high-definition cameras and forward-looking sonar, allowing an automatic mission including transit, target relocation, hover and target destruction;
- A containerised C2 Centre, equipped with the MWS [Mine Warfare System] including the UMISOFT suite, composed of a Toolbox Mission Management software for planning and evaluation, and Drone Control software dedicated to each Tool and Data Management software for data analysis and contact database management.
In parallel, as part of the Royal Netherlands Navy’s (RNlN) Operational Testing & Evaluation (OT&E) programme, Exail has provided a number of tools, including the MIDS and the A18-M AUV with its platform launch and recovery cage. The OT&E programme enables the RNlN to prepare and test new operational doctrines for the drones as early as possible in the pre-delivery phase. RNlN teams will evaluate performance of the rMCM tools, the operation of the LARS and the associated UMISOFT software suite. They will also be able to prepare for task allocation, maintenance and training.
Objectives are two-fold: firstly, to enable the RNlN to produce the necessary operational documentation and, secondly, to provide feedback based on use experiences of the systems in real conditions. Exail’s aim is to supply the navies with an improved and fully operational toolbox thanks to customer feedback.
