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    France has joined the Belgian-Dutch naval anti-mine shield

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    The maritime aspect of the war in Ukraine shows that despite the development of technology, sea mines are still a bane for the fighting parties. Not only do they make it difficult to conduct free operations at sea, but they are also a double-edged sword. Additionally, they are a serious problem many years after the war. You do not need to look far for an example, just look at how often mine neutralization actions are carried out along the Polish coast.

    Bearing the above aspects in mind, France, like many other countries, focused on the development of anti-mine forces. On October 18, at the Euronaval trade fair in Paris, an agreement was concluded under which France joins the Belgium-Netherlands-led rMCM program to develop a new generation of minehunchers.

    – France has confirmed its decision to join the project with anti-mine ships under the Belgian-Dutch rMCM program, the French General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) said in a press release. In addition, it was mentioned that thanks to trilateral cooperation, the operation of units will be facilitated and interoperability in mine warfare will increase.

    The choice of the rMCM mine destroyers by the French does not come as much of a surprise and was basically just a matter of time, especially considering that these ships are being built in the shipyards of the French shipbuilding company Naval Group. Having the same units by three countries will significantly reduce the operating costs in the life cycle, which was emphasized by the DGA, but also during construction. As previously assumed, France wanted four to six large mine destroyers to carry a variety of unmanned aerial vehicles, surface and underwater vehicles – with a displacement of 3,000–4,000 tonnes and a length of 90 meters. Currently, the French want to order new mine destroyers in 2023, but delivery dates and the number of ships are still under negotiation.

    Last year, the Belgians laid the keel of the first ship for Marinecomponent, which was called Ostend. In June this year, the construction of the Dutch ship Vlissingen began. Delivery of Ostend is scheduled for 2024, and Koninklijke Marine will pick up Vlissingen one year later. Each fleet will receive six units. The end of deliveries is scheduled for 2030.

    Mine destroyers are to have a displacement of 2,800 tons and a length of over 82 meters. For comparison: the French Éridan mine destroyers, which are also used by the Belgians and the Dutch, have a displacement of about 605 tons, and the Polish Cormorants displace 830 tons; both types are almost half the length of the rMCM. This gives an idea of ​​how big the ships will be compared to other ships of this class.

    The ships will be powered by engines supplied by Anglo Belgian Corporation. Each unit will receive two 6DZC diesel engines and a single 12VDZC engine. The former, depending on the variant, reach 1402–2038 horse power, and the latter – 2800–4076 horse power. The power generated by the engines will be transferred to shafts and propellers supplied by the Spanish company Baliño. In this way, the ships will be able to reach a maximum speed of 15 knots and a range of 3,500 nautical miles. The crew is to be sixty-three officers and sailors.

    French ships will most likely differ in equipment from those intended for Belgium and the Netherlands – in particular, specialized ones for neutralizing sea mines. The Belgians and the Dutch chose the Inspector 125 unmanned inspection boats, which themselves can carry other smaller unmanned vehicles. They are to be the main anti-mine weapon of the ships.

    As part of their work on the development of anti-mine forces, the French developed their own vehicle of this class – SLAM-F (Système de lutte anti-mines du futur), which is produced by Thales. It was developed under the Franco-British sea mine control program launched in 2012. The program itself is the result of the 2010 Lancaster House military cooperation agreement. In the UK, the program is called MMCM (Maritime Mine Counter Measures).

    In 2021, the first prototype of the system was delivered to the French Navy. SLAM-F will ultimately consist of an optional manned surface vehicle that will act as a command ship with a sonar and carry a remotely controlled underwater robot to identify and neutralize sea mines, two USVs for mine detection and three autonomous underwater vehicles. After the tests are completed, the prototype will be adapted to the serial configuration. A total of four systems, including a prototype, are to be delivered by 2024. After 2024, deliveries of four more platforms are planned, which are to be delivered by 2030.

    Currently, France has nine Éridan mine destroyers from the 1980s. They are supported by three Antarès sonar tugs and four Vulcain diving base ships. The first two types are to be replaced by one platform – the SLAM-F and the new mine destroyers. The only exception is the miners’ base ships – they will be replaced by five new units as part of a separate BBPD NG (Bâtiment-base de plongeurs dĂ©mineurs nouvelle generation) procedure.

    According to the Naval Group, the rMCM program, in addition to twelve ships, will also cover about one hundred unmanned systems shared only between Belgium and the Netherlands. After France joined it, it is safe to say that it is currently the largest initiative in the world to build an anti-mine force for three countries.

    See also: LCS collided with a Danish sailing ship

    Belgium Naval & Robotics

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