French firm Exail is joining forces with EDGE Group’s Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) and the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) to develop next-gen autonomous mine countermeasure (MCM) solutions in the UAE.
“This strategic partnership reinforces Exail’s commitment to delivering modular, interoperable and autonomous systems that enhance naval forces’ MCM capabilities in the UAE,” Exail said.
As part of the initiative, ADSB has unveiled the 170M Detector, a 17-meter (56-feet) vessel designed for advanced MCM operations.
Equipped with Exail’s mine identification and disposal systems, it will be key in detecting, classifying, and neutralizing underwater mines.
In the next phase, the team will focus on the next-gen Inspector 125 unmanned sea vehicle, a reconfigurable mine-hunting platform by Exail.
Under the collaboration, the upgraded Inspector 125 will integrate TII’s marine autonomy system and Exail’s T-18 towed sonar for real-time mine detection and classification.
Inspector 125
The current Inspector 125 is equipped for diverse missions, including mine countermeasures, infrastructure protection, and environmental assessment.
It is capable of monitoring the surface, water column, and seabed simultaneously, and it can integrate underwater drones and payloads.
The vessel operates in manned, remote-controlled, or fully autonomous modes.
It is equipped with advanced sensors, a navigation system, and sonar.
Its AI-based software processes data from video cameras, lidar, radar, and electro-optical sensors.
This feature enables real-time obstacle detection, threat avoidance, and enhanced situational awareness.
