Smarter mine countermeasures with new seabed crawler
Modern naval threats are evolving, and so are the technologies to counter them. That’s why Royal IHC is teaming up with Elwave in the European Extended Mine Countermeasures (E=MCM) programme — an exciting initiative to drive innovation and interoperability for European Navies. This forward thinking initiative is co-funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF).
Our mission? To design, prototype, and demonstrate a single system-of-systems architecture, featuring scalable unmanned autonomous toolboxes, intelligent platforms, and decision-support tools to combat threats from drifting, tethered, and buried mines.
Central to our approach is the development of a high-end seabed crawler equipped with Elwave’s Octopulse sensors, powered by the biomimicry technology CEDAR® (Controlled Electric Detection and Ranging), to enhance mine countermeasure (MCM) capabilities.
E=MCM programme
The sea mine threat has been a persistent challenge in Europe for decades, with its nature constantly evolving. The need for effective solutions has never been greater. Two key goals drive the efforts in addressing this threat:
- To develop innovative, operationally proven prototype solutions that effectively counter drifting, buried, and moored mines, capable of operating at larger stand-off ranges and in harsh conditions.
- To achieve measurable operational gains in mine countermeasure (MCM) operations by enhancing interoperability among EU navies.
Strengthening European defence
Through Royal IHC's participation in the 36-month E=MCM project, we continue to reinforce our commitment to innovation and the advancement of European naval defence capabilities.
The project involves 11 EU nations and includes collaboration with 22 key industry and defence partners, such as Elwave. Together, we are shaping the future of mine countermeasures and contributing to a safer and more secure maritime environment.
Our contribution
Royal IHC's contribution and innovation aim to achieve goals in several areas of mine detection and neutralisation. We will bring to the table our high-end product innovation, design, and engineering capabilities to deliver dedicated solutions in the following areas:
- Unmanned autonomous toolboxes
Our toolboxes are designed to be scalable and can be deployed autonomously to detect, classify, localise, identify, and neutralise various types of mines, including such as drifting, tethered, and buried mines. - Intelligent platforms
Our platforms are equipped with advanced sensors and decision-support tools to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of MCM operations. - System-of-systems architecture
The programme aims to design, prototype, and demonstrate a single system-of-systems architecture that integrates the various technologies and platforms to deliver better, faster, safer, and more resilient MCM operations.
Dual use applications
The collaboration between Royal IHC and Elwave demonstrates the commitment of both companies to delivering best-in-class performance for deployment, operations, and collaboration in harsh conditions, from the surf zone to ultra-deep waters.
We bring our maritime technology capabilities, while Elwave contributes its innovative CEDAR® sensing technology, enhancing detection and characterisation in the most challenging environments, including high acoustic and electromagnetic noise and water turbidity.
Selecting Elwave’s technology also for our commercial subsea crawlers, fits in our continuous striving to provide our clients with the latest sensing technologies available on the market.
A demo will be given at SeaSEC Challenge Weeks 2025. This exciting event will take place from May 12 to 23, 2025, at SeaSEC’s maritime testing grounds off the coast of Scheveningen, Netherlands.
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