South Korea’s Hanwha Systems is looking to enhance the country’s naval mine detection capability by developing a new system that leverages artificial intelligence (AI).
In partnership with the Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute (DRATRI), the company said it will invest 28 billion Korean won ($21.6 million) and up to two years in research and development of the automatic naval system.
With the help of AI, the new tech will work to develop a system that quickly and accurately detects and neutralizes concealed mines in complex marine environments.
The mine detection system will also be able to establish a big data infrastructure of naval mines and seabed environmental information using the latest AI deep learning algorithms.
“Through this project, we hope that advanced civilian technology will be rapidly introduced into the navy, advancing the establishment of key capabilities … such as unmanned surface vehicles, maritime drones, and underwater robots,” DRATRI director Jang Hee-Seon stated.
Once developed, the system will undergo six months of military trials and await production decisions.
Addressing Evolving Challenges
The development of the AI-based automatic naval mine detection system is part of the country’s Mine Sweeper Hunter II project to address evolving challenges in mine countermeasures.
It will utilize unmanned underwater vehicles and towed array sonars to continuously collect data on underwater environments.
According to Hanwha Systems official Park Do-Hyun, the success of the project will contribute to the enhancement of the Republic of Korea Navy’s combat readiness.
“Hanwha Systems will continue to develop core technologies related to unmanned and autonomous marine systems, securing technological superiority and price competitiveness to explore export markets,” he added.
Apart from the recent development, South Korea has embarked on numerous projects to strengthen its mine detection capabilities, including deploying specialized vessels such as the Ganggyeong-class Mine Hunter Craft and Yangyang-class Mine Sweeper Hunter.
