Multi-role System Attracting Early Interest

Demonstrating its long history of development of advanced underwater rebreather solutions, Avon Protection is showing its MCM100 systems, launched in 2018, to visitors to UDT in Stockholm, 13-15 May.

Over the past 150+ years, the basic operation and use of rebreathers has changed little. Coming to a degree of prominence in the closing stages of the Second World War, rebreathers are used relatively extensively by special forces units today. As mission requirements have grown so, too, has the list of demands from users, driving the industry to revolutionise as well as evolve.

In 2018, Avon Protection launched the MCM100, a deep diving (100m CE rated), air and mixed gas, electronic control rebreather. It was designed and developed around the diver, to deliver enhanced multi-role capability in the form of a new, long-endurance, electronically-controlled rebreather capable of integrating with a range of military diving applications, in particular mine warfare and special forces, including covert subsurface infiltration, submarine release and infiltration and manned underwater vehicle operations. The launch of the MCM100 heralds a revolutionary change in rebreather technology, placing two key elements at the heart of the platform; diver safety and multi-role mission capability.

At the core of the MCM100’s innovation is its revolutionary advanced electronics package, enabling the diver to focus on the task ahead and not the management of the dive or the system.

Some of the key features include:

• Automated pre-dive sequence reducing pre-dive preparation, start-up and maintenance times;

• Simple head-up display, showing system performance, message waiting and system errors;

• Redundancy layers and manual control to enhance diver safety;

• On-board decompression monitoring to manage diver gas mixes and decompression stops;

• Full data recording for post-dive analysis and enhanced diver safety;

• Remote software upgrades and enhancement to ensure through-life improvement;

• Service and maintenance software reducing downtime and lowering cost of ownership.

The multi-role design approach and advanced electronics package embedded in the MCM100 is synonymous with Avon’s history of innovation, design and engineering. The company’s manufacturing capabilities are centred on specialist user groups within the military, law enforcement and firefighting markets, all operating in high threat, high risk, dynamic environments.

This depth of understanding and specialisation has been applied to the MCM100, ensuring that it is a true multi-role rebreather, with upgradable and future proofed technology pathways, representing world leading technology, extended service life and lower support costs. Consequently, it is no surprise that at the beginning of 2018, once the product had been launched,

it was announced that Avon Protection had been awarded the contract to supply a European defence authority with MCM100 underwater rebreathers, together with in-service support.