This latest achievement follows the contract won in 2019 in a consortium with Naval Company, Belgium Naval & Robotics, for the supply of approximately EUR 450 million to Belgian and Dutch navies of the Unmanned Mine Countermeasures Integrated System (Toobox) UMISTM (Unmanned Mine Countermeasures Integrated System); the first contract in the world for new vessels fitted with a Toobox, which represents a technical leap-in.

Under this agreement, the ECA Group will provide the Latvian Naval Forces with a revolutionary solution for the modernization of its current mine countermeasure vessels, replacing the traditional hull sonar detection system for mines with a smaller unmanned system consisting of the AUV A18-M underwater drones for detection and the Seascan MK2 and K-STER C underwater robots for identification and identification.

With the assistance of its subsidiary Mauric, which specializes in naval architecture, and its Latvian partners, ECA Group will change the vessels to mount these modern mine countermeasure systems. Thus, the Latvian Naval Forces will be able to carry out underwater mine clearing operations at the end of the deal without the ship entering the minefield. This contract will involve repair and consumable sales for a period of 10 to 20 years, like all mine warfare contracts.

 As the UMIS system of the ECA Group is scalable, the Navy will be able to increasingly complement its unmanned system in the future, depending on its requirements, while retaining compatibility with current, modernized equipment and new, integrated drones.

After their new mine countermeasure vessels have been delivered, it is likely that the Belgian, Royal Netherlands and French navies, currently using tripartite mine countermeasure vessels, will sell their old vessels to the various navies involved. The ECA Group can then suggest the modernisation of these pre-owned vessels and equip them with a modern and powerful countermeasure device for the UMISTM mine.

Maritime Business World