ECA - Unmanned Surface, Underwater and Land Vehicles

ECA designs and manufactures robotic systems for inspection and intervention and offers a large range of unmanned surface, underwater and land vehicles for missions such as:

• Underwater warfare (including localisation, identification and disposal of underwater mines)
• Reconnaissance
• Surveillance of waterways
• Homeland security
• Search and recovery
• Shallow water survey
• Coastline protection
• Offshore pipe laying

The company was founded in 1936 and is a leader in unmanned underwater vehicles. Over 600 combat proven systems have been sold to over 20 navies worldwide.

ECA designs towed systems, torpedo qualification systems, equipment for acoustic positioning and hull inspection robots (for example, for use against drug trafficking). We also offer logistic support and training for our French and international customers.

HOMELAND PROTECTION AND SURVEILLANCE UNMANNED SURFACE VEHICLES

ECA's Inspector unmanned surface vehicle is a very flexible, remote-controlled surface platform capable of carrying a large range of different sensors, enabling the engine to assist with:

• Coastal and port security
• Coastguard applications (including underwater search missions)
• Mine warfare
• Naval combat applications
• Shallow water survey
• Hydrography and oceanography
• Surveillance and reconnaissance missions

AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER SURVEY, INSPECTION AND IDENTIFICATION

Our Alister Rapid Environment Assessment (REA) Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) has high navigation-performance and stability, increasing the performance of its sensors. It is capable of hovering for carrying out inspection tasks, and a flexible sensor package means it can be customised to suit different missions such as:

• Autonomous seabed search and survey from coastal station or from ship platform
• MCM search and survey from non-dedicated ships
• Close support to task force (organic mine warfare)
• REA
• Intelligence gathering and covert reconnaissance (recce)

The Alistar 3000 is an AUV capable of carrying out a variety of inspection tasks on ultra deep offshore oilfields. Video, sonar and hovering capacities give the vehicle unique capabilities to inspect underwater equipment and offers its operators greater flexibility and overall faster operations.

Inspection of pipelines, risers and mooring lines, as well as touchdown monitoring and post-lay surveys, are the typical tasks performed by the Alistar 3000 AUV. It offers the possibility of collecting video and sonar data during the inspection of subsea equipment and stores the information for post-processing data analysis.

Compared to current ROV or towed systems, both of which require important infrastructure and equipment on board, the Alistar 3000 does not need an umbilical and winch.

EXPENDABLE MINE DISPOSAL SYSTEM

The new K-ster expendable mine disposal system is a low-cost and easy-to-launch system for clearing minefields. It is designed to operate from any non-dedicated platform, at short or long range, in shallow or deep water. Automatically guided towards the target, K-ster allows identification prior to accurate and powerful fire.

The main advantages of the K-ster are its unique tiltable warhead to attack mines accurately and efficiently; its high stability in current; its great efficiency against all types of mines (including moored, bottom and partly-buried mines); and its insensitive warheads. All these features result in a reduced mine-clearance time.

OLISTER MINE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM

The OLISTER system exists in two different configurations: Forward Detection Sonar (FDS) and Mine Identification and Disposal System (MIDS). Typical missions for FDS configuration are:

• Mine hunting ahead of the ship
• Detection and classification of ground and moored mines on the continental shelf
• Sea bottom survey and investigation

If the customer chooses MIDS configuration, these applications are served:

• Relocation, identification and destruction of ground and moored mines
• Accurate mid-water or sea-bottom inspection