The Swedish aerospace & defense giant, Saab (the company behind Gripen fighter jets) received its first order of the underwater mine disposal system operated by unmanned vehicles. The remote-controlled vehicles, capable of identifying and defusing mines from a safe distance, will be delivered to the British and French navies.
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Thales Group is a French multinational aerospace company that signed the deal worth 300 million Swedish kronor (US $37 million) will start receiving the Saab’s state-of-the-art mine identification and disposal systems Multi-Shot Mine Neutralization System (MuMNS) in 2022.
The order is a part of the Franco-British Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) program. These systems will serve with the Royal Navy and the French Navy.
“We are proud to announce our first customers of the MuMNS. It’s a great success to deliver capabilities that enable these navies to perform safer and more efficient mine countermeasures operations since the operator can neutralize multiple sea mines from a safe distance,” says Görgen Johansson, head of Saab’s business area Dynamics said in a statement.
The MuMNS system comprises an ROV equipped with up to three Mine Neutralisation System (MNS) charges, surface unit, Launch and Recovery System (LARS), winch with tether, and a control position. It can be operated from a range of platforms including Mine Countermeasures vessels, Unmanned Surface Vessels.
The 2.7 meters long system weighs 415 kg when fully loaded and can travel at a speed up to 4 Knots. According to Saab, the vehicle is capable of neutralizing 3 mines in one mission without resurfacing and is effective against a wide range of sea mines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The operator can enter GPS coordinates and the remotely operated underwater vehicle will automatically reach the position.
MuMNS delivers a new generation of mine identification and disposal in a powerful, modular system based on proven unmanned Saab technology and mine countermeasures solutions. “This means unparalleled operational capability with greater flexibility that significantly improves operational tempo, and reduces the cost of mine countermeasures operations and risk to personnel,” Saab said in a statement.
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