The Royal Navy has taken delivery of its first of four end-to-end autonomous minehunting systems from Thales UK.
RNMB “Ariadne” is a 12-meter-long (39-foot) unmanned surface vessel equipped with artificial intelligence for automatic target recognition and can operate autonomously or via remote control, enhancing capabilities and crew protection against risky minehunting missions.
It is a key component of the “world’s first” autonomous minehunting system, along with an advanced towed sonar and multi-vision sonar, remotely operated vehicle, and lightweight operations center.
Following the vessel’s delivery, Royal Navy personnel will undergo training before subjecting the mine countermeasures system to a comprehensive evaluation and deployment on active duty.
The remaining systems are scheduled for delivery throughout 2025.
“We are extremely proud to deliver the world’s first end-to-end autonomous mine hunting system to the Royal Navy,” said Phil Siveter, CEO of Thales in the UK.
“With the introduction of AI and advanced sensor technology, this innovation marks a new era in naval defence and underlines our unwavering commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions that enhance the capabilities of our armed forces.”
Mine Countermeasures Program
Director of the Mine Hunting Capability Programme in the Royal Navy, Jonathan Reed-Beviere, noted, “This achievement is fundamental to the Royal Navy’s ambition to embrace Maritime Autonomous Systems.”
Beivere was referring to London’s Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) Programme which aims to gradually shift from conventional mine countermeasures vessels to autonomous maritime systems.
The MHC is under the joint UK-France Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) initiative, facilitated by the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR).
Thales UK and Thales France lead the MMCM, with contributions from Saab, L3 Harris, and Exail Prototyping.
It was established to develop and deliver four autonomous mine countermeasures capabilities to each navy under a 430-million-euro ($469 million) deal.
The UK invested 184 million pounds ($238 million), supporting over 200 jobs as the systems are manufactured in locations across the UK.
Meanwhile, France received its first mine warfare surface drone under the MMCM program in January 2025 under its Système de Lutte Anti-Mines Futur (SLAMF) project.
