The SeaFox is an anti-
mine Unmanned underwater vehicle
Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), also known as underwater drones, are submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant. These vehicles may be divided into two categories: remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) an ...
(UUV) manufactured by German company
Atlas Elektronik. It is designed to locate and destroy
ground and
moored mines. There are three versions, including a training version. The orange SeaFox-I "inspection" variant has sonar and an
Inertial navigation system
An inertial navigation system (INS; also inertial guidance system, inertial instrument) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning th ...
, and the black SeaFox-C "combat" round also has a
shaped charge
A shaped charge, commonly also hollow charge if shaped with a cavity, is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ...
warhead
A warhead is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket (weapon), rocket, torpedo, or bomb.
Classification
Types of warheads include:
*E ...
. The system is in service with eleven navies.
The SeaFox is an advanced design of an Expendable Mine Disposal Vehicle or
EMDV. It has a low
life cycle cost as it has low running and replacement costs. Its main targets are sea mines that pose a danger to vessels. It communicates with the ship via a
fiber-optic
An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...
cable. The SeaFox uses a custom launch and retrieval system, that may be fitted to a variety of ships, boats or even helicopters. It can be used for a range of tasks such as conduct damage estimation, route surveys, maritime boundary control, intelligence and harbor surveillance missions.
Service history
In 2001 the Royal Navy leased some SeaFox drones for use on
HMS ''Bangor'' and
HMS ''Blyth'' off Iraq as part of
Operation Telic
Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...
. The ''Bangor'' also deployed them off Libya in 2011. In October 2015 the Naval Surface Weapons Center (NSWC) commissioned the Atlas North America to get more SeaFox vehicles.
Technical specifications
The operational depth for the SeaFox C is between 0 meters and 300 meters. The SeaFox has a range of 1200 meters depending on acoustic and current conditions. The propulsion system on the SeaFox includes four horizontal propellers and one vertical thruster. The entire propulsion system is battery powered. The maximum speed of the SeaFox is 6 knots. The SeaFox can be controlled with a remote or can be set on automatic and it will use radar and sonar to locate mines and other obstacles that it is tasked with clearing. The SeaFox has live CCTV feed and a high intensity searchlight. The data feed is via a fiber-optic cable that is about 3000 meters long. The SeaFox is launched and retrieved using a crane. The warhead of the SeaFox is a fully shaped charge with demonstrated effectiveness against incendiary devices.
References
External links
*
Atlas Elektronik - Minehunting and Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) navaldrones.com
{{Underwater diving, divsup
Mine warfare countermeasures
Remotely operated underwater vehicles