HII and Thales say they have demonstrated an end-to-end autonomous mine countermeasure capability that links mine detection, classification and neutralisation into a single workflow.
The companies said the demonstration used Thales’ Expeditionary PathMaster, an open, modular architecture intended to integrate autonomous platforms, sensors, mission-management systems and effectors from multiple suppliers. In the exercise, HII’s REMUS 620 unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) was integrated with Thales systems and other capabilities to run a full mission chain.
According to the companies, the demonstration was run using Thales’ Expeditionary Portable Operation Center (ePOC), described as a rapidly deployable command-and-control system for expeditionary mine warfare operations. The ePOC hosted Thales’ Mission Management System and sonar data analysis software, integrated with HII’s REMUS 620 UUV, HII’s Odyssey mission-management solution and Thales Advanced Acoustic Concepts’ ANGLER mine neutralisation capability.
The companies described the mission chain as “Find, Fix, Finish”. For the “Find” phase, a REMUS 620 UUV equipped with Thales SAMDIS 600 multi-aspect sonar conducted autonomous search operations, controlled by HII command-and-control software interfacing with the ePOC. For “Fix”, contacts were analysed using Thales software combining multi-aspect sonar imagery with AI-enabled automatic target recognition to support classification and localisation. For “Finish”, Thales AAC’s ANGLER underwater effector and a remotely operated vehicle were used for re-acquisition, identification and neutralisation of mine-like objects.
HII and Thales said the demonstration also included automated launch and recovery of the REMUS UUV using HII’s Sea Launcher system.
Beyond the specific platforms, the companies positioned the test as an illustration of open-architecture integration, arguing that it could allow allied navies to combine capabilities from different suppliers within a NATO-compliant mission environment.
Duane Fotheringham, president of HII’s Unmanned Systems group, said the work moves the collaboration “from sensor integration to a complete mine countermeasure mission capability” and aims to support missions “faster, at greater scale and with sailors farther from the mine threat.”
Thales vice-president for Underwater Systems Sébastien Guérémy said the demonstration showed Thales’ ability to integrate autonomous platforms, sensors, mission management and neutralisation systems into a single operational framework.
The companies said the activity builds on a 2025 integration and field exercise of the SAMDIS 600 sonar aboard the REMUS 620, expanding to include mission management, AI-assisted exploitation and mine neutralisation.
