The live demonstration took place at the FMV test facility in Motala, Sweden, and involved neutralising a mock-up mine in a real operational environment. The objective was to assure the French and British navies of progress in developing the Mine Neutralisation System (MNS), a key subsystem of MMCM.
The ammunition was remotely placed by the ROV in accordance with the unmanned operational concept of MMCM. This marked the first time live ammunition was used in such a setting, successfully showcasing system readiness.
On 25 March, the ammunition cleared two major development milestones: the Critical Design Review (CDR) and the Test Readiness Review (TRR). This advancement enabled the project to enter its qualification phase.
MMCM is the world’s first fully autonomous mine countermeasure system, designed to detect, locate, identify, and neutralise threats at sea. The neutralisation process is carried out by Saab’s MuMNS (Multi-Shot Mine Neutralisation System) and the ammunition it deploys.
MuMNS operates via a tethered connection to its carrier vehicle, which in MMCM is an unmanned surface vessel equipped with a launch and recovery system. A key feature of MuMNS is its onboard Mine Disposal Magazine, which holds three cylindrical containers, each with a combat charge.
This configuration allows the ROV to deploy charges next to three separate threats in one mission, without returning to the carrier for reloading. This improves operational speed and reduces overall costs.
The charges are detonated either remotely via acoustic signal or after a pre-programmed delay, ensuring safety for other vessels in the area. Each charge includes a shaped charge warhead and is either attached directly to the mine hull or placed nearby using a telescopic manipulator arm with lighting.
