Naval Group launches MIRICLE project for new mine countermeasure solutions.

According to a press release published by Naval Group on December 14, 2021, the European consortium led by Naval Group Belgium kicked off the MIne RIsk CLearance for Europe (MIRICLE) project for which it was selected in July 2021 by the European Commission and approved by the Member States.
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Artist rendering of future mine countermeasure vessel of the Belgian-Dutch rMCM program (Picture source: Belgium Naval and Robotics)

This 24-months project aims at achieving a European and sovereign capacity in the future mine warfare and will create a path for the next generation "made in Europe" countermeasure solutions.

To answer the future needs of European navies, a consortium led by Naval Group Belgium has been selected by the European Union to define and develop a technology and capability roadmap for the next generation of European maritime mine countermeasures capabilities.

Known as MIRICLE (Mine Risk Clearance for Europe), the 24-month project is being sponsored by the European Commission and eight European Union member states under the umbrella of the European Defence Industrial Development Program (EDIDP).

The MIRICLE consortium consists of 19 partners representing 10 countries: Belgium, Estonia, France, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and The Netherlands.

Belgium is the lead nation and Naval Group Belgium is the coordinator of the consortium. Naval Group Belgium will facilitate the gathering and works conducted by the partners through its MCM Laboratory, recently launched in its premises in Brussels especially to support R&D collaborative projects.

The vessels will also benefit from innovations through the development of (semi)-autonomous Mine Countermeasures Vessel (MCMV) platforms, the improvement of interoperability & standardization, as well as through the development of a scalable intelligent multi-UxV mission management system and of an evolutive UxV Launch and Recovery System (LARS) onboard platform and docking.

A mine countermeasures vessel or MCMV is a type of naval ship designed for the location of and destruction of naval mines which combines the role of a minesweeper and minehunter in one hull. The term MCMV is also applied collectively to minehunters and minesweepers.