According to a tweet published by Naval Group on June 14, 2022, the company has laid the keel for the 2nd of the 12 mine countermeasure platforms of the rMCM program, the HNLMS Vlissingen, intended for the Royal Netherlands Navy. This program was awarded in 2019 to Belgium Naval & Robotics, the consortium formed by Naval Group & Eca Group.
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Keel laying ceremony of the mine countermeasure HNLMS Vlissingen (Picture source: Naval Group)
This program was awarded in 2019 to Belgium Naval & Robotics, the consortium formed by Naval Group and ECA Group, following an international competition.
It provides for the supply to the Belgian Navy and the Royal Netherlands Navy of twelve mine countermeasures platforms and around a hundred drones integrated inside a toolbox that will equip the vessels.
These specialized mine countermeasures (MCM) platforms are the first to have the capability to embark and launch a combination of surface drones (themselves 12-meter, 20-tonne vessels), underwater drones, and aerial drones.
The mine countermeasures platforms will use a mainly autonomous system for the detection, classification, and neutralization of mines. They can withstand underwater explosions and have very low acoustic, electrical and magnetic signatures, in line with the missions to be carried out.
The vessels will have a length of 82,6 meters, a width of 17 meters, and a displacement of 2800 tonnes. They will be able to reach a top speed of 15,3 knots and carry up 63 sailors with a base crew of 33 people.
The mine countermeasures ships will carry up the ECA Group’s UMISOFT System, 2 unmanned surface vehicles (ECA Group’s Inspector 125), 3 autonomous underwater vehicles (A-18 equipped with ECA Group’s UMISAS 120 sonar), 2 towed sonars (T-18 equipped with ECA Group’s UMISAS 240 sonar), 2 Mine Identification & Disposal Systems (MIDS) systems (ECA Group’s Seascan et K-Ster C), 2 unmanned aerial vessels (UMS Skeldar’s V200), 1 ECA Group influence mine sweeping system integrating 5 CTM magnetic modules et 1 PATRIA acoustic module.
