OIP and Hydroid partner to compete for Belgian MCM Toolbox programme

Defence company OIP Sensor Systems has signed a partnership agreement with Norwegian technology firm Kongsberg Maritime’s subsidiary Hydroid for the Belgian Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) mine countermeasures (MCM) toolbox programme.

The toolbox comprises one of two main parts of Belgium and the Netherland’s bi-national concept for future MCM, along with the MCM platform.

The team is expected provide an MCM package under the initiative, which will consist of the operational Seagull multi-mission unmanned surface vehicle (USV), an effective acoustic underwater communication technology and advanced electro-optic systems.

Additionally, the package is slated to include Hydroid’s new and widely deployed remote environmental monitoring units (REMUS), as well as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and the company’s autonomous deployment and retrieval system (DRS).

Hydroid president Duane Fotheringham said: “We are pleased to be teaming with OIP on the MCM Toolbox programme.

“Together, our technology and capabilities provide a complete MCM solution that serves as a crucial component for increasing our customer’s mine action capability.”

The collaboration will primarily focus on enabling the team to win significant shares of the development and production of the MCM toolbox programme.

It is also expected to support OIP’s aim of forming a highly competitive Belgian lead collaboration, which would combine a proven unmanned MCM solution with an extensive systems integration experience.

OIP Sensor Systems chief executive officer Freddy Versluys said: “We are proud to form this excellent team.

“Our integrated solution is a powerful, precise and extensively tested package that provides a robust, effective and efficient answer to the customer’s operational needs.”