Polish unmanned anti-mine platforms
Acoustic magnetic minesweeper Actinomycosis towed by minesweeper ORP Mamry. The experience gained during its development and operation was used by the STM in subsequent projects of unmanned platforms.
Maritime unmanned platforms perform an ever wider range of combat missions, and although their role on the modern battlefield is not yet decisive, the fact is that they are increasingly used in operations carried out by the fleets of various countries. It is expected that in the next few years more than a third of maritime operations will be carried out using unmanned aerial vehicles. Our country, incl. Thanks to the activities of the Research and Development Center of Centrum Techniki Morskiej SA from Gdynia, which is part of the Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa SA, there is a chance to create unmanned maritime systems that complement ships, which can significantly increase the effectiveness of mine control and at the same time increase the level of security of the duty units that will operate at a safe distance from unrecognized fields and minefields.
The term "unmanned offshore platforms" includes both surface and underwater unmanned aerial vehicles. Therefore, it should be assigned to all offshore platforms operating unmanned on and below the water surface. The tasks that were set for uninhabited offshore platforms are, first of all: coastal defense, anti-mine operations, anti-submarine operations, strengthening situational awareness in marine areas, protection of ports and fairways, protection of navigation, etc. Currently, the largest number of "marine drones" in the world is used in mine action.
The use of domestic unmanned vehicles in mine action began in Poland with the introduction of wire-guided underwater vehicles into the Polish Navy. The first was the Ukwial underwater system, which has been successfully used by 206FM minehunter crews for several years. It is designed to detect and destroy naval mines detected by other means of technical surveillance. Its main element is a reusable underwater vehicle, developed by the Gdansk University of Technology, adapted to transport cargo that destroys / defuses mines. After reaching the target, the machine identifies the mine with the help of cameras, and for direct impact on the detected object, it transfers charges developed by Toczek in CTM in its vicinity. They are equipped with a fuse triggered by a coded digital sonar signal generated by a transmitter in the water. Two of the three weights from the Toczków family (varieties A and B) are adapted to be carried by Ukwały, and the third (C) is adapted to be carried by a diver. It is worth noting that research and testing of the specified machine in terms of the physical fields generated by it, electromagnetic compatibility and the ability to perform combat missions were carried out by employees of the Gdynia Center on the basis of their laboratory and training ground.
Ukwial recently had a successor in the form of the Harbor Harbor vehicle, also developed by the Gdansk University of Technology. It has more propulsion power than its predecessor, and thanks to its modular structure and equipment, it can be used both for searching for mines, their clearance, and for underwater work. For underwater observation, the device can use: sonar, multibeam echo sounder and camera. Destruction of mines, as in the case of an older machine, is carried out by delivering the Tochek cargo in close proximity to dangerous objects.
