System based on autonomous aerial and maritime surface vehicles to identify sea mines and support the intervention team in the neutralization mission

Abstract

As naval forces continue to be increasingly present in today's operational environment, European maritime forces are poised to successfully exploit autonomous mine countermeasures (MCM) technology, not only to save manpower but also to increase operational efficiency. Successfully detecting and removing mines from the maritime environment (especially drifting mines, which have re-emerged in the spotlight following the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022) remains a key requirement for maritime forces trying to maintain the security of waterways and oceans around the world. The overall objective of the project, which is the subject of this paper, is to develop and integrate autonomous means (UAVs and USVs) into the concept of action of specialized forces for the search and identification of sea mines. As a starting point in the definition of the overall objective, it has been taken into account that the intervention of specialized forces to neutralize explosive devices involves a series of complex actions, including search, detection, identification, location-based assessment, safe destruction/neutralization, recovery, and destruction of improvised explosive devices or munitions.