Northrop demonstrates mine detector sensor with unmanned vessel

A U.S. Navy mine hunting unmanned surface vehicle. (Northrop Grumman)

ANNAPOLIS, Md., Oct. 7 By Richard Tomkins  (UPI)

The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman had demonstrated mine-hunting capabilities in the Gulf using a Navy unmanned vessel and a company sensor system.

Northrop Grumman has successfully demonstrated its mine detecting sensor system for the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Manama, Bahrain.

The demonstration was performed with the Mine Hunting Unmanned Surface Vehicle, or MHU, in the Arabian Sea and highlighted the capabilities of the vessel with the sensor system.

"We are encouraged by the progress made with MHU 1 and 2 in 5th Fleet," said Capt. David Honabach, PMS 406 Unmanned Maritime Systems program manager, U.S. Navy. "We are also pleased that we could successfully demonstrate this capability to a key coalition partner in the Arabian Gulf region and look forward to Flight 2 Mine Hunting Unmanned Surface Vehicles for future success."

Added Tom Jones, vice president, Undersea Systems, Northrop Grumman: "This Navy demonstration, along with the continued investments we are making across the USV and mine-hunting technology spectrum, demonstrate that Northrop Grumman is committed to assisting the Navy and our coalition partners in defeating the maritime mine threat while keeping sailors out of the minefield."

Northrop Grumman said the demonstration involved the remote-controlled MHU executing a preplanned mission by transiting to an operational area, deploying the AQS-24A, conducting a search pattern and then recovering the sensor. Sensor sonar data were sent in real time using a tactical data link to a command-and-control station.

Additional details of the demonstration were not disclosed.