Photo: Royal Navy
The UK Royal Navy is busy converting commercial vessels into military ships, in addition to building new frigates and other types of vessels for its fleet. Last week, it kicked off the conversion process of an offshore support vessel into a subsea surveillance ship. Now, another commercial vessel is getting ready to be converted, this time in a futuristic minehunter.
The MV Island Crown, a vessel that’s almost 100 meters long (328 feet) has just arrived in Plymouth. It was bought by the Royal Navy from Island Offshore, for £40 million ($49 million) and, once converted, will be delivered to the RFA. The RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) is the main logistics branch that supports the Navy’s military missions.
The MV Island Crown (which will also get a new name) is getting ready to support mine-hunting operations. What makes it a futuristic kind of minehunter is that it will actually work through drones.
Instead of searching for the enemy mines itself, it will be fitted to launch drones that are specifically designed to search and destroy mines at sea.
This is a huge development when it comes to mine hunting, because it will help protect human lives in the process. In other words, the military personnel will be able to remain at a safe distance, while the autonomous mine-hunting systems get the job done. The Royal Navy has already been testing these drones for a while, as part of Project Wilton.
Minehunters are an essential asset for Navy fleets. They help clear the way not just for aircraft carriers or frigates, but also for submarines, making sure that there are no potential threats to the crews.
The automation of mine-hunting operations is one of the most important military trends today. Last year, the U.S. Navy inaugurated its first drone ship unit, officially known as Unmanned Surface Vessel Division (USVDIV) One.
Part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, this pioneering unit will operate ships that can be controlled remotely, while traveling with no personnel onboard. The first one of them is Sea Hunter, a 132-foot (40 meters) ship that uses state-of-the-art radar, computers, and optical guidance to operate autonomously. Its main tasks? Similar to the MV Island Crown, it’s meant to search and destroy enemy mines and submarines.
The Royal Navy says that this offshore commercial vessel only needs military conversion work for its future role within the RFA. The most important part will be the installation of military communication systems onboard, which will only take a few months. The future militarized ship will be ready to kick off operations by the Spring of 2023, when it will start working with mine-hunting autonomous systems.
In the meantime, another offshore commercial vessel is also gearing up for a new military role. This will be an entirely new type of ship, meant for protecting the strategic communication infrastructure (telecommunication cables) at sea.
The MV Island Crown (which will also get a new name) is getting ready to support mine-hunting operations. What makes it a futuristic kind of minehunter is that it will actually work through drones.
Instead of searching for the enemy mines itself, it will be fitted to launch drones that are specifically designed to search and destroy mines at sea.
This is a huge development when it comes to mine hunting, because it will help protect human lives in the process. In other words, the military personnel will be able to remain at a safe distance, while the autonomous mine-hunting systems get the job done. The Royal Navy has already been testing these drones for a while, as part of Project Wilton.
Minehunters are an essential asset for Navy fleets. They help clear the way not just for aircraft carriers or frigates, but also for submarines, making sure that there are no potential threats to the crews.
The automation of mine-hunting operations is one of the most important military trends today. Last year, the U.S. Navy inaugurated its first drone ship unit, officially known as Unmanned Surface Vessel Division (USVDIV) One.
Part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, this pioneering unit will operate ships that can be controlled remotely, while traveling with no personnel onboard. The first one of them is Sea Hunter, a 132-foot (40 meters) ship that uses state-of-the-art radar, computers, and optical guidance to operate autonomously. Its main tasks? Similar to the MV Island Crown, it’s meant to search and destroy enemy mines and submarines.
The Royal Navy says that this offshore commercial vessel only needs military conversion work for its future role within the RFA. The most important part will be the installation of military communication systems onboard, which will only take a few months. The future militarized ship will be ready to kick off operations by the Spring of 2023, when it will start working with mine-hunting autonomous systems.
In the meantime, another offshore commercial vessel is also gearing up for a new military role. This will be an entirely new type of ship, meant for protecting the strategic communication infrastructure (telecommunication cables) at sea.
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