A new boat which arrived on the Clyde today has been described as ‘the future of mine hunting’ by the Royal Navy.
RNMB Harrier will be operated by Project Wilton, a recently formed Maritime Autonomous Systems team based at Faslane.
She has now started a week-long familiarisation and training package delivered by contractors ATLAS Elektronik UK (AEUK), with initial operating capability due in September.
Lieutenant Commander Ross Balfour, officer in charge of Project Wilton, said: “We have been working closely with both Defence Equipment and Support and our industry partners to realise this emergent capability for a considerable time.
“It is very exciting to see the equipment and Harrier in the flesh and allow my highly-trained team to get their hands on the kit and start to develop the potential of this highly capable system.”
RNMB Harrier can operate in three modes – manually, remotely and autonomously – and deploy either towed side scan sonar systems or autonomous underwater vehicles.
This provides the ability to accurately survey the seabed and determine the presence of mines and other underwater threats.
The new system is aimed to offer greater flexibility to deploy around the world where it can be quickly set up for survey and mine hunting operations.
Jared Pocock, senior project manager for Defence Equipment and Support said: “It has been a privilege working with the Project Wilton team delivering this transformational system.
“It is exciting to see the fruition of the dedicated work put in over the past two years with the Royal Navy now getting their hands on this equipment and putting it to work.”
RNMB Harrier has joined her sister-vessel RNMB Hazard which has been in operation for around 18 months, initially being put through its paces by the Royal Navy’s Maritime Autonomous Systems Trials Team.
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