German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen (A&R) and its European consortium have secured European Union funding via the European Defence Fund (EDF) for the “Autonomous Heavy Mine Sweeping” (EUROSWEEP) initiative.
The EUROSWEEP project is designed to create a unified European uncrewed minesweeping system with autonomous capabilities to safeguard large military resupply vessels and commercial ships.
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This advanced system is expected to replicate the acoustic, magnetic, and pressure signatures of larger ships to safely activate and neutralise naval mines, representing a significant advancement in autonomous defence technology.
The consortium, which includes partners from 13 different countries, will leverage A&R’s knowledge in autonomous maritime systems to create autonomous mine countermeasure drone.
The entities are from Germany, Norway, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Denmark.
In a statement shared on its official LinkedIn account, A&R said: “This selection is not only a technological milestone but also affirming our commitment to driving innovation in mine countermeasures.
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By GlobalData“European security depends on joint innovation — and we’re proud to help shape the future of autonomous defence together.”
The project’s estimated total cost is €37.73m ($44.4m) and maximum EU contribution is around €28.54m.
It is scheduled to commence later in the current year with an anticipated duration of approximately four years.
The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) is the coordinator for EUROSWEEP project.
EUROSWEEP’s project includes research, design, prototyping, and testing of key components such as operator control stations and cybersecurity measures for uncrewed and autonomous minesweeping systems that are both effective and economical.
Additionally, the project aims to design alternative payloads that enhance underwater resilience and anti-submarine warfare capabilities to showcase the modular nature of the proposed system.
