On behalf of France and the United Kingdom (UK), OCCAR has awarded the
Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) contract to Thales Underwater
Systems, in collaboration with BAE Systems and their partners in France
(ECA) and in the UK (ASV, Wood & Douglas, SAAB UK). Initiated in
2010 under the Lancaster House cooperation agreement between France
and the United Kingdom (the Participating States), the MMCM programme
will develop a prototype/ demonstrator autonomous unmanned system for
detection and neutralisation of sea mines and underwater improvised
explosive devices. The opportunity for cooperation between France and
the UK in MMCM initially emerged through participation within the European
Defence Agency on requirement definition. |
The FR-UK
MMCM contract covers the development, production, qualification and
initial support of two identical MMCM prototype/demonstrators based
on off-board unmanned systems deployed at a standoff distance from mother
ships. The first stage of the contract, which has been signed, covers
a 15 month-long study, definition and design phase worth about 22 M€
that is equally funded by each Participating State. The Contract also
secures firm prices for two optional tranches, which, if exercised by
OCCAR at the request of the Participating States, will cover Manufacture
and Qualification and a period of support for evaluation of the systems
by the Marine Nationale and the Royal Navy.
The contract was signed on 27 March 2015 by Mr. Beniot Plantier, Thales
Underwater Systems Chief Executive Officer and by the OCCAR Director,
Mr. Tim Rowntree.
For France, the MMCM project is a core building block of the larger
"Système de lutte anti-mines futur" (SLAMF) programme
aiming at renewing anti-mine warfare capabilities after 2020. For the
UK, the MMCM project contributes to the Mine countermeasures and Hydrographic
Capability (MHC) programme.
With the signature of the MMCM Programme Decision by the French and
UK Programme Board Representatives on 12 March 2015, MMCM was formally
integrated as new Programme into OCCAR.
The OCCAR-EA MMCM Programme Division is located in Paris. |
