Dangers of the deep sea and the fight against them (Part 1)

Lockheed Martin’s Remote Mine-hunting System (RMS) is the primary mine detection system for US coastal defense ships fleet

Easy-to-deploy and relatively cheap sea mines and underwater explosive devices pose a real threat to fleets and commercial shipping, restricting freedom of movement in shallow water and in strategic narrow straits and aisles.

The ability to detect, locate, classify and neutralize these threats remains a key requirement for fleets around the world. The technological development of automatic underwater and surface vehicles (APA / ANA), as well as sensors and actuators in the field of mine action, allows western fleets and industry to develop networked autonomous "systems of systems" to replace the current traditional mine action equipment capable of operating at a considerable distance.

The US Navy became the first Western fleet to adopt this operational concept, which provides the expeditionary forces with regular anti-mine weapons by adopting helicopters and non-specialized, but multi-tasking platforms with special equipment. The coastal defense ships of the Freedom and Independence classes of the US Navy are at the forefront of these capabilities, using their modular compartments, manned and unmanned rotorcraft, surface and underwater systems and other built-in means for launching, returning and operating uninhabited systems at sea.

The current priority program of the US Navy provides for the development of the so-called functional Mission Package (MP) kits designed for mine action or MCM (Mine Countermeasures). The first stage of the MCM MP or Increment 1 includes the Remote Mine-hunting System (RMS), which is a Lockheed Martin AN / WLD-1 Remote Multimission Vehicle (RMMV) semi-submersible remotely controlled vehicle, towing a Raytheon AN / AQS-sonar 20A, the AN / AES-1 ALMDS airborne laser mine detection system from Northrop Grumman and the AN / ASQ-235 AMNS (Airborne Mine Neutralization System) airborne mine neutralization system from Raytheon; the last two systems are installed on board the Sikorsky SH-60S carrier-based anti-submarine helicopter. Three more planned phases will introduce new mine action systems. As part of the Increment 2 phase, the detection of mines in the coastal strip will be ensured by activating the currently deployed drone MQ-8C Fire Scout from Northrop Grumman, equipped with the CBRAS coastal reconnaissance and analysis system.

Some components of the program of the American fleet MCM MP: Sikorsky SH-60S helicopter and the Remote Mine-hunting System (RMS) mine search system. Below is a rough outline of the combat use of these components.

European activities

As part of the next stage, the remote contactless (multipulse) unmanned Influence Sweep System (UISS) remote system, developed by Textron Systems, which is based on the ANA, which in turn is a modification of the boat for the remote destruction of CUSV sea mines of the same company, will go into service. This device tows a long submerged cable that generates a magnetic field with an acoustic generator Mk.104, which allows you to remotely detonate mines. The fourth step involves the delivery of APA Knifefish, the development of which is headed by General Dynamics Mission Systems. This underwater vehicle is a further development of the Bluefin-21 APA, it will be equipped with a side-scan sonar that will detect buried mines at speeds of up to three knots (5,5 km / h) at depths up to 275 meters. However, the main component of the MCM MP Increment 1 first stage, which is the Remote Minehunting System (RMS) remote mine clearance system, had reliability issues that could delay the initial operational tests and evaluation of the MCM MP project and the subsequent issuance of contracts for initial small-scale production.

Although many of the world's fleets are looking at established multi-purpose / specialized platforms capable of deploying remote mine action systems, European shipbuilders retain leadership in the design and production of mine action vessels, promoting new designs and retrofit kits. For example, in 2011, Thales received a contract from the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense to upgrade two Hunt-class anti-mine warfare vessels from the presence of the British fleet, which were transferred to the Lithuanian fleet in July 2013. The contract included the upgrading of ships and the integration of Thales Sonar-2193 sonar, Thales M-CUBE anti-mine action control systems, the installation of ECA’s modern broadband mine detector and ECM single-use K-STER EMDV (Expandable Mine Disposal Vehicle) unmanned underwater vehicles with fiber optic control cable.

Case-mounted Thales Sonar-2193 sonar and Sonar-2093 variable-depth sonar, together with the TSM-2022 Mk.III modular sonar, represent modern mine control solutions

The forces and anti-mine forces of the British fleet today mainly consist of eight Hunt-class ships and seven Sandown-class ships, which are maintained in working condition by repairing platforms and introducing new equipment supplied by BAE Systems and Babcock International. Hunt-class vessels are equipped with a Thales Sonar-2193 sonar, and Sandown vessels are equipped with a Sonar-2093 variable depth sonar. The first of these sonars uses a broadband technology that significantly increases the efficiency against mines with a low reflected echo intensity. The Sonar-2093 Sonar stations of the “Sandown” ships should also be upgraded in accordance with the contract issued to Thales at the end of 2014. All ships of these classes also have remotely operated underwater vehicles for checking and deactivating SeaFox mines manufactured by Atlas Elektronik / Ultra Electronics.

Remotely controlled underwater vehicle for checking and disposing of mines SeaFox MKII

In order to further enhance the capabilities of the British fleet in the field of mine action through the introduction of non-contact mine clearance on vessels of the Hunt class, Atlas Elektronik received a contract to design and build a prototype of a non-contact mine trawling surface vehicle that can be deployed from ships of this class, followed by its demonstration in full featured mode. So far the details have not been disclosed, but the system should be based on the Atlas Elektronik patented by the remote-controlled ARCIMS (Atlas Remote Capability Integrated Mission Suite) surface minesweeper. The ARMICS system, already delivered to the fleet of a not-called Middle Eastern country, includes an optionally piloted surface unit manufactured by ICE Marine, which can accept alternative anti-mine action modules.

ARCIMS remotely controlled surface minesweeper

The German shipyard Lürssen builds specialized anti-mine warfare vessels, Navantia competes with it, offering its vessels of the “Segura” class. For its part, Saab offers a larger version of its Landsort and Koster mine sweepers, which are in service with the Swedish fleet, as well as the Bedok ship, which is part of the Singapore fleet. The hull of the new version, called “Enhanced Koster”, is lengthened by five meters (up to 52,5 meters) in order to get more crew space and systems and improve navigation, as well as be able to carry out future upgrades. Thales, meanwhile, completed the upgrading of Bedok class vessels in 2014 by upgrading the mine monitoring and control system by installing the TSM-2022 Mk.III mine search sonar in the ship hull, integrating the K-STER EMDV underwater mine sweepers and integrating the towed sonic aperture sonar Thales DUBM-44, which allows to reduce the time required to survey the area for the presence of explosive hazards.

Saab offers a family of semi-autonomous remotely operated underwater vehicles Double Eagle Mk.II / III ROV. The newest addition to the family is the Multi-Shot Mine Neutralisation System

In September, the Polish industrial consortium, consisting of the Remontowa group, the shipyard of Gdynia and the marine technology center CTM as a system integrator, launched the first of three minesweepers for the Polish fleet in September, following the Kormoran-II program. An initial delivery of these vessels is scheduled for November 2015. The project includes the SCM-CTM mine action monitoring and control system and mine detection, identification and neutralization systems, including the Saab Double Eagle PVDS (Propelled Variable Depth Sonar) sonar and the Kongsberg Maritime submersible HUGIN 2016 MR.

With long traditions and extensive experience in building reinforced fiberglass anti-mine ships and supplying such ships to Australia, Finland, Italy, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand and the United States, the Italian shipbuilding company IMMSI is currently participating as the lead contractor in the construction of anti-mine ship for an unnamed foreign customer under a contract signed with Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (a joint venture between Fincantieri and Finmeccanica) with an option to build a second similar on. According to various sources, the anti-mine ship with a special control system from Selex and a family of remotely operated search and neutralization vehicles of the Gaymarine Pluto mines of the family is expected to be delivered to the Algerian fleet. IMMSI also participates in the modernization program on the average life of eight Gaeta class anti-mine vessels of the Italian fleet, which includes platform modification and system overhaul, the introduction of the Selex mine control system, the Thales Sonar-2093 sonar and the latest Pluto remote control devices. Gaymarine gigas.

Remotely controlled apparatus for search and neutralization of mines of the Pluto family

The Italian shipyard is also part of an international industrial group, led by Taiwanese shipbuilding company Ching Fu Shipbuilding. In October 2014, the American company Lockheed Martin announced the delivery of six anti-mine vessels to the Taiwanese fleet. The first ship of this class, equipped with the Lockheed Martin mine search and trawling control system, will be supplied by an Italian shipyard in Taiwan and completed by a local company, while the following ships will be built and equipped on site with technical assistance from the Italian company. Completion of deliveries is expected by 2024.

The Russian Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant, part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, launched in October 2015 the first of two anti-mine defense ships ordered by the Kazakh Ministry of Defense, the raid minesweeper of the 10750E project. The minesweepers are equipped with various anti-mine weapons, including a control system, a SeaBat sonar from Teledyne Reson, disposable K-Ster EMDV mines and guided underwater vehicles Alister-9.

Raid minesweeper of the project "10750E", built by the Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant

To be continued

Comments

[Leto]

It is strange that they did not mention Kongsberg REMUS 100, one of the most widely used anti-mine AUVs in the world. Norwegians rule this topic.
It is clear why the domestic fleet was slightly touched, there is nothing to rejoice at. In terms of anti-mine AUVs, things are worse than ever. In general, the anti-mine weapons of the Russian Navy are deeply stuck in the last century and there are no prospects, against this background, patriotic statements about how our fleet will defeat everyone with "calibers" and other propagandized bogeymen look ridiculous. The fleet will be locked in the bases with minefields installed both from the submarine and from the air, which will have nothing to sweep.

[g1v2]

Yeah, mine action for minesweepers is not very good. Look, they wanted to install French mine action systems on the minesweepers of Project 12700 Alexandrite, and they threw the Franks. Thp now almost ready, "Alexander Obukhov" has been waiting for almost a year when our analogs of the mine complex are bungled.
On the other hand, we would just need to develop mines, all the same, a dense setting of minefields in the straits at the exit from the Black and Baltic Seas, in which case, if something could, give us a lot of time to respond. And between the islands of the Kuril ridge, in which case minefields could solve a lot.

[Verdun]

Quote: g1v2

It is strange that they did not mention Kongsberg REMUS 100, one of the most widely used anti-mine AUVs in the world. Norwegians rule this topic.

So it is written that the continuation follows. Maybe the author will tell.

Look, they wanted to install French mine action systems on minesweepers of the project 12700 Alexandrite, and the Franks threw

Fighting alien mines with alien technical means means dooming yourself to a possible defeat in advance. There, as in Iraq, the French merged the Americans with the frequencies of their radars, and Hussein was left without air defense. So, maybe it's good that the French threw us on this point. You must have your own means of trawling.

[Leto]

Quote: Verdun

There, as in Iraq, the French merged the Americans with the frequencies of their radars, and Hussein was left without air defense.

Well, where do you get such nonsense? The French merged frequencies ... Did they have any special frequencies or what? All of them are in the EM spectrum, you just need to select them for which there is reconnaissance aircraft which, before the start of fights, actively collected information. This has nothing to do with mine weapons.

[Verdun]

Quote: Leto

Did they have any special frequencies or something?

If you are not in the know, the system for determining "friend or foe" works at certain frequencies.

This has nothing to do with mine weapons.

That is, are you ready to guarantee that French mine action will successfully detect French landmines in the event of a military conflict between France and the country to which the mine action was delivered?

[Parsec]

Quote: Verdun

If you are not in the know, the system for determining "friend or foe" works at certain frequencies.

And these frequencies are known from the moment of adoption of the radar whether it is aircraft, ground or ship.
The request and response codes of the recognition system are not in the frequencies, and now they are close to the codes of the general staffs in terms of simulated resistance.

Why are you writing about things unknown to you ...

[Verdun]

Quote: Parsec

And these frequencies are known from the moment of adoption of the radar whether it is aircraft, ground or ship.
The request and response codes of the recognition system are not in the frequencies, and now they are close to the codes of the general staffs in terms of simulated resistance.

Why are you writing about things unknown to you ...

I don’t know how now, but at the time when I served in air defense, not only the codes changed, but also the carrier frequencies. Otherwise, it is too easy to drown out the identification system.

[Leto]

Quote: Verdun

If you are not in the know, the system for determining "friend or foe" works at certain frequencies.

You have already been answered

Quote: Verdun

That is, are you ready to guarantee that French mine action will successfully detect French landmines in the event of a military conflict between France and the country to which the mine action was delivered?

Let's think, how are bottom mines found? Echolocation, no more. The AUV goes at a certain depth and probes the bottom with an echo sounder comparing the bottom relief with the reference image included in the program. Those. make a "snapshot" of the bottom in advance and check it. Any object that does not fit into the picture is displayed and becomes the subject of study ... or destruction.
And what will make such a French mine? Will change the speed of sound propagation in water?

[Verdun]

Quote: Leto

Let's think, how are bottom mines discovered?

What specific bottom mines are we talking about? Passive or active? With acoustic, magnetic, remote, percussion or another type? Many modern mines do not wait until they are discovered, but they themselves discover the target and attack it. You, with your ideas about mines, were seventy years late.

An AUV goes at a certain depth and sounder probes the bottom by comparing the topography of the bottom with a reference image embedded in the program.

In this way, sunken ships are not always able to be detected, but you are talking about mines ...

[Aviagr]

And if the mine itself is mobile - like an underwater glider - and it enters the area already verified by the minesweeper ...
In general - mine action is complicated many times, only periodic explosions of something in front of you - but there’s not enough space for ammunition. And minesweepers are, in the long run, a useless thing - they themselves can be neutralized by surface mine-like glider mines. So the less ships return to base, the less likely they are to be detonated. It follows: fully robotic underwater arsenals of weapons (missiles) with refueling at sea or on atomic traction.
But we have neither gliders, nor antigliders - but there are FPI, Rubin, Malachite and Krylovsky with the largest experimental pool ...

[KCA]

At the expense of our lack of underwater gliders, the question is controversial, the likely enemy comes straight out with sauce, talking about Russian automatic underwater vehicles, and ours seem to hint a little

[Aviagr]

Gliders are just one of the subspecies of uninhabited (autonomous) underwater vehicles. On them I am much more in topic - the seams are complete (they promised in 2017, but would have made it by the 20th). For others, yes, work is underway, but these are all single (one might say - exhibition) copies. To flood the seas and oceans with them, we need to take away their budget from the amers - I have brought the main "leeches" above on this piece of cake - massively and cheaply - not their style. And without mass, there is no sense from them (except for PR). But ice-free seas are easier to "handle" from mines by robotic sailing catamarans with an autonomy of up to 2 months. With their number of several thousand in one water area, it will be possible to implement the 4D principle, i.e. monitoring bottom surface changes over time. And glider mines are easier to catch with them. So there are developments, but the money is all - the monsters shamelessly suck out. Therefore, the defense is naked ...

[chunga-changa]

The West takes this into account, so they do not spare money for the development and construction of anti-mine forces. Any of our few mine installations will be quickly destroyed, because they are few to install, they also need to be protected, but there is nothing.

[Bashibuzuk]

Of course, mine action systems and work should be developed.
Just pay attention to one thing.
That's when the States launched Star Wars, SOY this ours that our responded - we will find alternative ways to fight.
Found it. They didn’t even look too much.
In addition to ready-to-use orbital fighters, they could send a bunch of "carriages with rubble" into orbit, which swept the entire US SOY into the trash can.
So here.
The development of good mine action systems is very expensive. Especially regarding field tests.
And who, and to whom will allocate so much money? In our feudal-wild capitalist economy, Kudrin, or what?
Hence, first - no one will give money. To drown them in the sea. More interesting to buy a couple of villas in Cannes.
Second - when it was necessary to provide passageways to the Ministry of Health in Sevastopol, during World War II - methods and methods were found to be a fly. After a week, or something, everyone has already mastered.
But it turns out that ships and vessels go along the fairways, the sailors do not need to explain.
The cleanliness of the fairways can be easily and simply ensured with the help of depth charges. A barrel of tolm, in other words. Cheap, nowhere else to go.
And in addition to the GB, the "Snake" can be adapted for mine clearance. If he makes passes through minefields on land, then why can't he do the same at sea. After all, we don't need to clear the Atlantic. Completely.
Well, in the third there, of course. Do not allow these darn directors of the Ministry of Health to the borders. And the fleet solves this problem. And not minesweepers and drones.
...
Which way do we go, gentlemen brothers?

[Leto]

Quote: Bashibuzuk

Just pay attention to one thing.

To your optimism ... based on ignorance of the topic.
This tank can be laid two meters long with a length of 500 meters, and mine fields are much wider in the sea, and two meters are few, a bottom mine and a hundred meters can cause severe damage because water is not air, it is an incompressible liquid.

[Alexey RA]

Quote: Bashibuzuk

The second - when it was necessary to provide passageways to the Ministry of Health in Sevastopol, during the Great Patriotic War - methods and methods were found by a fly. After a week, or something, everyone has already mastered.

Actually, a week later in Sevastopol, when leaving the South Bay, a non-German aircraft bottom mine blew up and sank the Bystry EM.

Quote: Bashibuzuk

The cleanliness of the fairways can be easily and simply ensured with the help of depth charges. A barrel of tolm, in other words. Cheap, nowhere else to go.

You are late for more than 70 years. Even German mines survived such bombing.
I'm not talking about the fact that such a bombing over squares requires a heavy expenditure of explosives and is quite likely to kill the base’s own hydroacoustics.

By the way, how do you propose to deal with such nasty things as "captor" and its analogues? Do you know such a thing? A deep-sea anti-submarine mine is a disposable TA with a Mark-46 and passive hydroacoustics. Ideal for deployment near SSBN bases.

Quote: Bashibuzuk

Well, in the third there, of course. Do not allow these darn directors of the Ministry of Health to the borders.

The small thing is to provide a complete 100% overview of the underwater environment within a radius of 50 miles from the base. For there are pretty filthy self-sorting mines - a hybrid of torpedoes and mines.

[Bormanxnumx]

Quote: Bashibuzuk

The second - when it was necessary to provide passageways to the Ministry of Health in Sevastopol, during the Great Patriotic War - methods and methods were found by a fly. After a week, or something, everyone has already mastered.

More details please from this place :), and even during the blockade of Sevastopol, more ships were lost on its mines than it was German bottom mines.

[Bashibuzuk]

Damn, optimists you guys ...
Think one passage TCA with GB ... and traffic jams to the ceiling?
But no ...
...
it is all about the PROBABILITY of the passage .... of a particular ship at a particular moment in time.
Everything else is from the evil one.
OR...
from SPECIFIC ignorance of the topic ... like in Leta ... for example.

...
and I don’t need to sing war songs here.
Do not rummage ... it would be better to be silent.


...
or are you going to live forever?

[Amurets]

Saab offers a family of semi-autonomous remotely operated underwater vehicles Double Eagle Mk.II / III ROV. The newest addition to the family is the Multi-Shot Mine Neutralisation System
Is this system constantly finding traces of our special forces on the Swedish coast and our submarines in Swedish waters? For advertising purposes, of course.
“Yeah, things are not going well with minesweepers. They wanted to put French mine-action systems on the minesweepers of Project 12700 "Alexandrite", but they threw the francs. >> Never, do not order anything for your "SWORN FRIENDS", it will be more expensive for yourself. The lines are to their fifth point. And the deadly experience of Colonel Gaddafi.

[runway]

I was surprised by the heading of the article "The Dangers of the Deep Sea and the Fight against Them."
The fight against depth, how the fight against height? Like, all life is a struggle? However, we already know enough about depth to not just fight it, but using the achievements of science and technology, to study our Planet at sea and ocean depths.
And I should start, in my opinion, with the desire of mankind to discover the secrets of nature hidden in the depths of the sea. Diving Greek and Roman bells. Diving equipment. And how can one not recall Jacques Yves Cousteau, who, together with Emil Ganyan, developed and tested scuba gear in 1943, which opened up the possibility for us to study underwater flora and fauna and carry out technical work in depth.
Retyping the performance characteristics of deep-sea vehicles is simple, but boring. I will not read the subsequent parts of the "struggle".

[Parsec]

Quote: piston

The fight against depth, how the fight against height? Like, all life is a struggle? However, we already know enough about depth to not just fight it, but using the achievements of science and technology, to study our Planet at sea and ocean depths.

The only specialty equated to astronauts in terms of requirements, degree of danger and incentives for work is hydronauts, i.e. people working at great depths.

The ocean is said to have been less studied than space.

So there is enough struggle with depth, everything is strict there.

[Leto]

Quote: piston

The fight against depth, how the fight against height?

This refers to the struggle against the danger that lies in the depths of the waters. You mock in vain, sea mines are relatively cheap and very effective and difficult to identify, especially with regard to bottom mines. Three-channel fuses (acoustic, magnetic and hydrodynamic channels) equipped with a multiplicity device do not respond to modern trawls because if it is possible to create a false magnetic field, screw noise, it is impossible to fake a change in water pressure due to the movement of a ship of a certain displacement.
Therefore, mines are looking almost to the touch. This is a complex and time-consuming task and for a fleet whose naval composition is small it is very important because the loss of one warship or submarine is displayed on the combat effectiveness of the entire fleet.

[runway]

You don’t have to take everything so painfully.
In my comment, we are talking about the title of the note, from which it does not at all follow that we will be talking about the mine action. I was taught that the title of the article should be consistent with its content. Ultimately, we all want competent and interesting articles to be published on the site.
Do you agree?

[stas-xnumx]

The article is interesting, I liked it.

[BastaKarapuzik And]

Nowadays, it’s even scary to imagine what achievements of scientific and technological progress this type of ammunition can absorb. If during the Second World War mines with a magnetic and acoustic fuse had a fairly perfect mechanism, difficult to disarm, now the mine can be programmed, not just for some type or tonnage of the ship, but in general for a specific target. A nightmare perspective.