Advanced autonomous minehunting ship RNMB Apollo to enter Royal Navy fleet amid "critical updates" - when
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A futuristic autonomous mine-hunting ship will soon enter the Royal Navy fleet.
RNMB Apolllo will be fully operational next year following extensive testing and trials. The small un-crewed boat is bristling with mine hunting kit - a towed sensor and synthetic aperture sonar - which can all be used to scan the seabed for various ordnances and explosives.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge, Conservative, asked the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in a parliamentary written question when the service date is for RNMB Apollo.
Minister of defence readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, said the programme is meeting expectations. The Labour politician said: “The Maritime Mine Counter Measure programme remains on track to deliver initial operational capability in line with Royal Navy requirements.
“The first vessel is expected to enter service in early 2026. RNMB Apollo was on trials and evaluation with the Royal Navy from 2021-2025 and has been returned to the manufacturer for maintenance and critical system updates, as part of its capability development phase, and is due to enter service later next year.”
Push towards autonomy
RNMB Apollo held trials in the Firth of Clyde in December last year. Launched from commercial SD Northern River, the un-crewed vessel was tested at different sea depths and coastal currents.
When ready, the vessel will be part of the Maritime Mine Counter Measure (MMCM) programme - providing autonomous mine hunting equipment to the Royal Navy and France’s Marine Nationale. The ship was trialled alongside the new Royal Navy ship HMS Stirling Castle, allowing for tests to see if the former Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel can be a mothership for autonomous ships.
Discussing the tests in December 2024, Commander Daniel Herridge, the Commanding Officer of the Royal Navy’s Mine & Threat Exploitation Group, previously said: “The Mine & Threat Exploitation Group will continue to support the enterprise in delivering these important trials to progress operational evaluation and accelerate capability delivery for provision of a modern and high-tech operational capability within the maritime environment, safeguarding the UK’s interests both at home and overseas.”