Elbit Systems’ Naval Solutions Fit Modern Warfare Needs

Naval solutions developed by Elbit Systems provide maritime dominance and operational interoperability for the entire naval fleet, according to the company, whose developed products provide a strategic advantage in achieving naval objectives and ensuring naval security. Recent additions to the wide naval systems portfolio were developed, leveraging the company’s wide technology base and vast experience in naval systems.

The SEAGULL Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) system’s Mine Counter Measures (MCM) capability facilitates end-to-end mine hunting operations including detection, classification, localisation, identification and neutralisation of bottom, moored, and drifting sea mines while taking the sailor out of the mine field. The Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability provides the navy with a significant tactical advantage by effectively deterring and threatening enemy submarines using an available asset with significantly lower risk.

Featuring switchable, modular mission payload suites, SEAGULL can perform ASW and MCM, Electronic Warfare (EW), Maritime Security (MS), Hydrography, and other missions using the same vessels, mission control system and data-links.

According to Elbit Systems, SEAGULL offers navies a force multiplier delivering enhanced performance to naval operations, reducing risk to human life and dramatically cutting procurement and operating costs.

During EURONAVAL 2016, Elbit Systems demonstrated live, real-time control of its SEAGULL multi-mission USV system. During the demonstration, the SEAGULL platform, sailing in the Haifa Bay, Israel, was not only controlled via Satellite Communication (SATCOM) but also performed operational missions, by using control consoles situated in the Elbit booth. Displayed capabilities included commanding vessel sailing using semi-autonomous sailing modes, EO/IR system operation, live display of forward looking sonar imagery and aft deck monitoring camera video display.

“The success of this test demonstrates SEAGULL’s modular mission system capability, enabling a highly effective ASW configuration of high performance dipping sonar using two single tube torpedoes,” Ofer Ben-Dov, Vice President Naval Systems Business Line at Elbit Systems’ ISTAR Division, said. “The test highlighted SEAGULL’s unique capacity to detect and engage submarines, in addition to its ability to detect and destroy sea mines – all using the same multi-mission USV system in modular configurations. This new and important capability has, to date, only been available to navies through manned vehicles.”