Minehunting ships to get new view of the ocean with 'Recce'
A ROBOT that can use sonar to find explosives underwater is to be used by Portsmouth sailors.
The navy has unveiled an unmanned gadget known as 'Recce', which can spot ordnance and take detailed pictures of the sea bed.
Recce is short for Reconnaissance Unmanned Underwater Vehicle, and it can work up to 200 metres deep.
It is coming into service having passed trials at the end of last year, and sailors from Portsmouth's minehunting squadron will be using it in future.
The navy estimates that there are more than 200,000 unexploded items in the Channel and North Sea around Britain, and sends minehunting ships on Nato patrols.
Modern mines can be triggered by just the sound of a ship passing above, so equipment for detecting them needs to be state-of-the-art.
Recce can scan the sea bed for mines for more than 20 hours at a time, using a system of sensors to pin-point their exact location.
Data is fed back to the operators on the ship for analysis - reducing the risk to naval divers who traditionally carried out these operations.
High resolution imagery also gives operators a sharper, clearer picture of the sea bed, enhancing their ability to identify the mines.
Phil Jenkin, the underwater systems programme manager for the MoD's equipment and support arm, said: 'The system builds on the success of the Remus technology of smaller, shallow water vehicles, which the navy has used over the last few years.
'The new vehicle is not intended to replace existing systems but to extend the navy's remote mine hunting ability.
'With improved sonar we can cover larger areas of water and dive deeper.' As well as hunting mines the system can assess the marine environment, helping with such as mapping the ocean floor and measuring ocean currents.
Lieutenant Commander Kev Giles, the navy's Fleet Mine Warfare Capability Manager, said: 'Recce is a leap forward from the smaller vehicles which have a shorter range, fewer sensors, and dive to a maximum 30-metre depth.
'This is why the navy is very enthusiastic about this. It gives us a look into the future.'
Two systems, each consisting of two 3.9-metre long, torpedo-shaped vehicles, were bought by Defence Equipment and Support in a 5m contract placed with Hydroid Inc in 2007.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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