Unmanned 'robo minehunters' will be sweeping the sea with the Royal Navy by March

The specialist unmanned kit – which also includes new developments in surveying technology – has been handed over into military service.

It will enter live operation in March, the Royal Navy said, and is a critical step in keeping sailors safe while on hunting for underwater explosives.

Sailors trained in this of type mission will be stationed at HMNB Clyde in Scotland, where the remotely operated kit, including submersibles and boats designed to hunt down mines but also analyse the oceans and sea floor, will be deployed from.

The new technology will support Portsmouth-based sailors on the city’s fleet of eight Hunt-class minehunters, which currently has vessels based in the Gulf.

Commodore Mike Knott, assistant chief of staff maritime capability, insisted the new technology was a significant leap forward for the navy.

‘With equipment and personnel now operating on the Clyde, the transition to widespread use of autonomous systems in mine counter measures (MCM) is becoming a reality and places the Royal Navy MCM community at the cutting edge,’ he said.

‘This exciting project handover is a real step forward in realising our ambition to make mine hunting safer and more effective through the use of autonomous and robotic technology.’

Initial operations are now being carried out by Project Wilton, the name for the Royal Navy’s unmanned mine hunting and survey endeavours.

Wilton currently has three boats – two remote controlled and the other manned – as well as multiple underwater vehicles.

This kit will supplement the Royal Navy’s current mine hunting missions carried out by the mine countermeasures ships of the Hunt and Sandown classes.

The work builds on the ongoing trials of unmanned and autonomous technology carried out by the Royal Navy, Defence Equipment and Support and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.