Australian Navy personnel have begun training with recently acquired sea mines, Air Vice Marshall Leon Philips revealed at a recent event.
“The first batch of modern sea mines have been received and have been used in maritime training by our Navy,” Naval News quoted the Chief of Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) as saying during the 21st annual Australian Defence Magazine Congress.
Australia’s defense department purchased the “smart” mines from RWM Italia last year as part of Project SEA 2000 Maritime Mining.
The purchase will enhance the Australian Defence Force’s mine warfare capabilities, helping the military secure the country’s maritime approaches against invading vessels.
‘Smart’ Sea Mine
The mine can be placed on the sea bed by ship, submarine, or from the air.
It features precision sensors to detect a vessel’s magnetic, electrical, acoustic, pressure, and seismic effects.
Unlike land mines, it can differentiate military vessels from non-military ones.
Domestic Production
According to Philips, the government has entrusted the GWEO Enterprise to develop the local production capability for a select group of advanced weapons, including sea mines.
The GWEO Enterprise is developing the capacity through technology transfer “with the longer term goal of enabling the local electronics servicing, loading, assembling, and packing of sea mines in Australia,” Naval News quoted Philips as stating.
In support of the effort, small local firm Enginium Pty Ltd has reportedly helped establish an explosive materials branch.