The contract involves the supply of eight AUVs, with an option for an additional eight, equipped with Thales’s advanced SAMDIS 600 sonar. This sonar system, designed to identify all types of naval mines at various depths, employs advanced multi-view technology to capture images from multiple perspectives in a single pass, enabling higher accuracy in detection and classification.
Exail’s extended version of its A18-M AUV will serve as the platform for this mission. Known for its long-range capability, precision, and stealth, the A18-M AUV can operate effectively in challenging underwater environments. Exail will oversee the development of the AUV’s autonomous functions and work closely with Thales to integrate the SAMDIS sonar, creating a seamless mine countermeasure system.
This new AUV system will join Thales’s MMCM (Maritime Mine Counter Measures) toolbox, a set of solutions that enhances the French Navy’s operational efficiency and safety. By minimising risks to personnel, the MMCM toolbox is set to boost the Navy’s overall effectiveness in mine countermeasure (MCM) missions.
“Mine Countermeasures is among the first military fields to fully transition to third-generation MCM capabilities with autonomous, drone-based systems. This is the core mission of the SLAMF programme, and Exail, a specialist in naval drones, is proud to contribute with its extended version of the A18-M AUV,” said Jérome Bendell, CEO of Exail Maritime Business Line. He added, “This collaboration underscores our commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology that meets the highest standards of performance and safety for modern naval defence.”
Gwendoline Blandin-Roger, VP of Thales’s Underwater Systems Business Line, highlighted the evolving nature of naval threats: “The proliferation of sea mines and their sophistication make data collection and advanced analysis all the more necessary to counter these terrible threats. Today, autonomous mine countermeasures systems offer greater efficiency, while protecting crews from the dangers of minefields. With the new SAMDIS 600 procured in the frame of the SLAMF, the most innovative mine countermeasure programme, Thales is proud to help operators in their decision-making for the benefit of their missions.”
