Funding | Autonomous heavy minesweeping system | European Defence Fund (EDF);European Commission - Peeref (2024)

Objective:

Uncrewed systems are a familiar asset in naval capabilities, and they are being increasingly adopted. These types of assets and the technologies that go with them have the potential to offer a diverse mission set, minesweeping being one of them. The maritime drones and their payloads currently used and integrated by the navies operate with different levels of autonomy and endurance. This topic aims to enhance naval minesweeping capabilities by pushing the design and level of the autonomy of particularly maritime drones. Furthermore, this topic addresses sweep gear and sweep sources for minesweeping operations adjoining the higher level of autonomy. In this context the drone/platform and its payload/sweeping gear form the minesweeping system.

Minesweeping is traditionally performed using mechanical or influence sweep sources towed behind a highly specialised and expensive crewed platform (minesweeper). Evolving technologies, such as autonomous features, offer new solutions to the minesweeping systems. These solutions in concert with new operational concepts offer European navies the opportunity to maximise the benefits of common development. Typically, a distinction can be made between drones with towed signature sources and those with integrated sources installed aboard.

The size and capability of a minesweeping drone and its payload are defined by the operational needs. These needs vary in environmental aspects from inshore operations with short transit and limited operation times in sheltered areas to operations in unsheltered areas potentially exposed to heavy wind and large waves with long standoff distances. The variation in operational needs with respect to the subject of protection can be from smaller merchant vessels and military vessels with reduced underwater signatures to large civilian merchants with significant underwater signatures.

The underwater signature and the shock resistance of the minesweeping system is a crucial part of its design and a fundamental feature of minesweeping operations.

The objective of this call is to reach at least technology readiness level 6 for a minesweeping system (platform/drone and payload designed for it).

Scope:

The proposals must target minesweeping systems (platform/drone and payload/sweeping gear) with autonomous features that are capable of performing influence sweeping in open-sea conditions against mines that target large merchant vessels (such as Landing Platform Dock (LPD), Ro-Ro vessels etc. up to around 200m length). The proposals must investigate and develop capable and cost-effective drone systems for influence minesweeping. This includes the interfaces to enabling systems such as launch and recovery (LARS) of the sweep system and command and control (C2) systems (including planning and evaluation tools).

The proposals may include solutions that include modified mechanical minesweeping operations.

Furthermore, the proposals must address reducing time (improved effectiveness) and risk for personnel and materiel in minesweeping operations. Development of uncrewed systems and autonomous features are seen as enablers in this regard. Improvements must address at least vehicle design regarding underwater signatures, propulsion system, and shock resistance to benefit both operational quality and efficiency. Improvements should also address features such as low maintenance effort, survivability, endurance, and modularity.

The proposals should address multi-purpose functions with the aim of supporting additional Naval Warfare operations, such as, but not limited to, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Intelligence, surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), and Maritime Evacuation Operations. This may imply that features, such as, but not limited to, LARS, interaction with several autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), operation in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) denied environments, towing of sonar systems, and use of mine disposal systems are incorporated.

The outcome should benefit a European interoperable and interchangeable NMCM Future Sweeping System designed with incremental capabilities to counter current and new mine threats consisting of enhanced intelligent platforms. Furthermore, the outcome should address the development of influence sweep source demonstrators for relevant underwater signatures (such as acoustic, magnetic, pressure and electric).

Types of activities

The following table lists the types of activities which are eligible for this topic, and whether they are mandatory or optional (see Article 10(3) EDF Regulation):

Accordingly, the proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of mandatory activities:

• Studies:
  • Research and studies on relevant signature levels, characteristic and frequencies as well as sweep tactics.
  • Defining the sweep signatures in the acoustic, magnetic, pressure and electric field. The research must be supported by simulation and experimentation.
  • Simulations must include at least mine influence sweeping, including multi sweep, in order to estimate the effectiveness against various mines.
    • Simulations must include at least the most basic mine setting and target selection features.
• Design:
  • Design, development, fabrication and integration of demonstrator signature sources, including, but not limited to, features on available energy, mechanical interface and shock requirements.
  • Design of minesweeper drone.
  • Design of uncrewed LARS of towed sweep sources if the proposed design includes towed sweep sources.
  • Design of minesweeping systems and sub-systems with attention to at least the following characteristics:
    • Shock resistance from underwater explosions.
    • Automated ship systems prepared for autonomy interfacing.
    • Non-magnetic materials and/or degaussing systems for reduced magnetic underwater signature.
    • Hybrid propulsion including battery powered electric propulsion for reduced underwater signature.
    • Resilience and robustness.
    • Autonomous detection of mine firings.
    • Environmental conditions (sea state, temperature etc.).
    • Uncrewed operations with the possibility of crewed operations in transition phases to-from operation or regulatory demand.
    • Digital infrastructure, and communication security.
    • Data and information security.
  • Design in support of autonomous features for drones including at least the following characteristics:
    • Navigation including COLREGS (collision avoidance) and GNSS denied situations (implies low derivation error).
    • Situational awareness.
    • Joint sweep operations with cooperating drones in formation.
    • Fault handling.
    • Mission planning, including interface to higher level operational planning tools.
    • The design of the autonomous features must be in accordance with international and national laws and regulations, including, where applicable, regulations for autonomous vessels and class guidelines from international providers of classification.
  • Design of user interface for maintenance, monitoring, and information exchange for minesweeping operations with drone.
  • Design verification must include technical and functional tests of key technology components (such as sweep signature sources, drone sub-systems, autonomy and command and control systems) in a representative operational environment.

The proposals should cover at least the following tasks:

• Studies:
  • A supply chain analysis in the area of minesweeping solutions with autonomous features addressing critical dependencies for the EDTIB.
• Design:
  • The design should include alternative payloads for NMCM operations:
    • AUV operations with transport and LARS, also including underwater communication with AUV and position aiding.
    • Towing of mine hunting sonar systems.
    • Remote operation of mine disposal systems from drone.
    • Support vessel role equipment for mine clearance divers.
    • Role equipment for underwater surveillance (mission module) in support of barrier operations necessary to protect ongoing mine clearance operations.
    • Supporting vessel for mine jamming operations.
  • Communication systems to operate uncrewed systems with crewed systems including interworking and interoperability of applications & data.
  • Digital infrastructure and cyber security by design.
    • The digital infrastructure and security measures depend on the configuration/architecture of the System setup (System of Systems). This needs to be tested in isolated component and subsystem tests, as well as total systems tests.
• System prototyping:
  • The proposals should include technical system prototyping for a minesweeping system, including drone and influence sweep sources for relevant underwater signatures (any, some, or all of signatures such as acoustic, magnetic, pressure and electric).

A final demonstration should serve as an instrument to show to the military community the results of the targeted development activities, present potential military value and identify technology shortfalls that need to be addressed in subsequent activities in nations and in EU.

The design and development methodology should comply with NATO Architecture Framework (NAFv4).

Moreover:

• projects addressing activities referred to in point (d) above must be based on harmonised defence capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries (or, if studies within the meaning of point (c) are still needed to define the requirements, at least on the joint intent to agree on them)
• projects addressing activities referred to in points (e) to (h) above, must be:
  • supported by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries that intend to procure the final product or use the technology in a coordinated manner, including through joint procurement

and

• • based on common technical specifications jointly agreed by the Member States or EDF associated countries that are to co-finance the action or that intend to jointly procure the final product or to jointly use the technology (or, if design within the meaning of point (d) is still needed to define the specifications, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).

For more information, please check section 6.

Functional requirements

The proposed solutions for a minesweeping system should meet the following functional requirements:

• The proposals should meet the common requirements for future minesweeping systems as defined by supporting Member States.
• The solutions should be capable of minesweeping in the tactics mine setting mode (MSM) against different mine types and in target simulation mode (TSM) for the simulation of various ship types, in particular large merchant vessels (such as LPD, Ro-Ro vessels etc. up to around 200m length).
• The solutions should be capable to operate in an open sea, as well as confined and shallow environment at moderate to rough sea state.
• The solutions should be capable to operate continuously (independently without replacement, recharging, reloading) in sweeping mode for at least 36 hours and in transit mode at least 72 hours.

Expected Impact:

The outcome should contribute to:

• Strategic autonomy of EDTIB in the area of minesweeping systems.
  • Fostering the technological cooperation of industries in the field of uncrewed sweeping drones and signature sources.
• Interoperability of EU Member States Armed Forces:
  • System definition and proof of concepts for a future European minesweeping system.
  • Common requirements and harmonisation of minesweeping concepts.