Page 20: of Marine Technology Magazine (June 2020)

FEATURE USV Platforms

Photo: Thales Australia he Royal Australian Navy’s the mines. provide an MCM capability in-stride (RAN) SEA 1778 deploy- Captain Bryan Parker, the RAN’s with, or in some cases ahead of, deploy- able Mine Counter-Mea- Commander Mine Warfare, Clearance ing maritime task groups to effectively sures (MCM) capability is Diving, Hydrographic, Meteorological, speed up the time taken on this impor- both a small step forward in Oceanographic and Patrol Force (COM- tant function and enabling maritime ma- the spiral development pro- MHP), said the Task Group MCM capa- neuver,” Parker said.

cess and a “technological bility aimed to provide a tactical capa- “We need an organic MCM capability

T leap” into autonomy.” bility essential to reducing the hazard of that’s designed to burst out of the back of

The RAN is looking to replace its four mines in the littoral maritime domain for the Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) and legacy Huon-class minehunter coastal Navy’s deployed Fleet, while also mini- clear a lane to the beach so the landing ships (MHCs) with a new deployable mizing direct exposure of its personnel to force can go ashore,” said Cmdr. Mick

MCM capability. The lead ship in the dangerous sea mines. Parker, the operational requirements class, HMAS Huon (M 82) will be 21 “By its very nature, MCM operations sponsor for mine warfare at the Navy years old this May. The MHCs are slow are a time-consuming task and conven- Strategic Command. “SEA 1778 pro- and are not always available where and tional minehunters have a relatively vides an initial interim MCM effect for a when they are needed. Furthermore, slow speed of advance compared to single task group.” they need to enter mined areas to fnd our other warships. We are aiming to The SEA 1778 package is relatively June 2020 20

MTR