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03 Jul 25. Royal Navy has autonomous Minesweeping Capability for First Time.
- SWEEP system delivered to combat threat of naval mines
- £25m contract with Dorset-based TKMS Atlas UK Ltd has supported 55 high skill jobs
- Aligned with Strategic Defence Review’s aim to introduce more autonomous systems into naval operations
For the first time the Royal Navy has autonomous minesweeping capability after new systems were delivered to help combat the rapidly evolving threat of naval mines. Developed and manufactured in the UK by Dorset-based TKMS Atlas UK Ltd (formerly Atlas Elektronik UK), the three sets of autonomous minesweeping systems, known as SWEEP, can safely clear sea lanes to defeat modern mine threats. The £25m contract has supported 55 highly-skilled jobs in Dorset and around the UK, backing the government’s Plan for Change by driving defence as an engine for economic growth. The SWEEP system’s innovative technology can defeat sophisticated modern digital sea mines which can detect and target ships and submarines passing nearby. The system consists of Unmanned Surface Vessels and sophisticated payloads to detonate mines quickly whilst being controlled remotely by operators located in command centres that can be at sea or on land.
SWEEP’s “sense and avoid” capability works together with other similar autonomous systems, such as the Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) system and SeaCat Unmanned Underwater Vehicles, for the common goals of sustaining freedom of manoeuvre for Royal Navy vessels and making international waters safer.
Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP, said: “This is the first time that the Royal Navy has autonomous minesweeping capability available, delivering on the Strategic Defence Review’s vision for a more hybrid Navy to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond. The new systems can safely clear sea lanes to defeat mines, helping to keep Britain and our sailors safer. This investment supports highly skilled jobs in Dorset and across the UK, backing the government’s Plan for Change by driving defence as an engine for economic growth.”
Jonathan Reed-Beviere, Mine Hunting Capability Programme Director for the Royal Navy, said: “The Royal Navy receiving its first fully autonomous minesweeping system is truly transformational. The unmanned system can replicate a ship’s signature, tricking sea mines into detonating safely. The portable, flexible system is vital to protecting ships from modern mine threats, operated remotely from land or sea, it will keep our sailors out of danger and will restore a minesweeping capability the Royal Navy has lacked since 2005.”
Andy Lapsley, Mine Hunting Capability Team Leader at DE&S, said: “These three SWEEP systems will help to ensure Royal Navy personnel can combat the evolving global threat of naval mines more effectively and more safely. The new technology, which will also help maintain the freedom of manoeuvre for UK ships and submarines when defending the UK at sea, is aligned with the aims of the Strategic Defence Review to increase utilisation of new autonomous equipment to support the Royal Navy to patrol the North Atlantic and beyond.”
Antoni Mazur, Managing Director of TKMS Atlas UK, said: “It’s an incredibly proud moment to see these cutting-edge minesweeping systems enter service with the Royal Navy. We have worked with the MOD for decades to develop our minesweeping expertise and deliver this capability as a true, UK innovation, supporting highly skilled local jobs and the manufacturing base. We look forward to continuing to work with the RN and MHC team for the success of the transition to an autonomous MCM capability for the UK.”
02 Jul 25. A&R consortium wins EU funding for EUROSWEEP. The EUROSWEEP project aims to create a unified European uncrewed minesweeping system with autonomous capabilities. German shipyard Abeking & Rasmussen (A&R) and its European consortium have secured European Union funding via the European Defence Fund (EDF) for the “Autonomous Heavy Mine Sweeping” (EUROSWEEP) initiative. The EUROSWEEP project is designed to create a unified European uncrewed minesweeping system with autonomous capabilities to safeguard large military resupply vessels and commercial ships. This advanced system is expected to replicate the acoustic, magnetic, and pressure signatures of larger ships to safely activate and neutralise naval mines, representing a significant advancement in autonomous defence technology. The consortium, which includes partners from 13 different countries, will leverage A&R’s knowledge in autonomous maritime systems to create autonomous mine countermeasure drone. The entities are from Germany, Norway, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Denmark.
In a statement shared on its official LinkedIn account, A&R said: “This selection is not only a technological milestone but also affirming our commitment to driving innovation in mine countermeasures. European security depends on joint innovation — and we’re proud to help shape the future of autonomous defence together.”
The project’s estimated total cost is €37.73m ($44.4m) and maximum EU contribution is around €28.54m. It is scheduled to commence later in the current year with an anticipated duration of approximately four years. The Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) is the coordinator for EUROSWEEP project. EUROSWEEP’s project includes research, design, prototyping, and testing of key components such as operator control stations and cybersecurity measures for uncrewed and autonomous minesweeping systems that are both effective and economical. Additionally, the project aims to design alternative payloads that enhance underwater resilience and anti-submarine warfare capabilities to showcase the modular nature of the proposed system. (Source: naval-technology.com)
03 Jul 25. Australian Army fires air-to-air missiles from NASAMS. The Australian Army has fired air-to-air missiles (AAMs) from its ground-based National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) launcher and its Hawkei 4×4 wheeled high-mobility launcher vehicle. The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 1 July that the army fired from the land systems Raytheon’s Air Intercept Missile (AIM)-9 Sidewinder and AIM-120 Advanced Medium‐Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) during a live-fire certification activity at the Woomera Test Range in South Australia in May. During the certification activity, Hawkei launcher vehicles were modified to carry up to six AIM-9 Sidewinders or AIM-120 AMRAAMs, the DoD said. It added that missiles from the NASAMS canisters and Hawkei launcher vehicles were fired at the same target to conduct “ripple fire” engagement. The live-fire activity follows an 18-month training period conducted for soldiers of the 16th Regiment, which will operate the capability, the DoD added. It added, “Following the successful live-fire, 16th Regiment can mix and match AMRAAM and Sidewinder missiles in canister or high-mobility launchers to give ground-based air defenders more options.” The Australian Army conducted an initial trial of NASAMS AAMlaunches in November 2023. At the time, the DoD said the 16th Regiment will receive new facilities as a part of the NASAMS project but did not elaborate. According to Janes Land Warfare Platforms: Artillery & Air Defence, NASAMS is a networked medium-range air-defence system developed and built as a part of a co-operative venture between Kongsberg and Raytheon. Australia’s NASAMS consists of the Raytheon AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel X-band 3D air-defence radar and Kongsberg’s Fire Distribution Center (FDC) and Mk II canister launcher, which can fire AMRAAM and Sidewinder missiles. (Source: Janes)
30 Jun 25. Laser Focus: DASA and Dstl funding accelerates novel laser detection tech. A novel laser detection system developed by Sentinel Photonics has evolved from a promising concept to commercial technology through DASA and Dstl support.
- Sentinel Photonics was founded in 2019 by former Dstl scientists who developed innovative laser detection technology. The scientists spun out their own company in 2020, licencing the technology from Dstl.
- Another DASA-funded innovation which protects users’ eyesight from lasers has been adopted on the Army’s KS1 rifles.
- Sentinel Photonics also secured a DASA Defence Innovation Loan to help grow the size of their team and further develop the technology.
- The company has grown at a remarkable pace, from one full-time employee to a team of 20, with products being deployed across NATO nations.
The Innovation Journey
For military personnel operating in hostile environments, detecting adversaries’ lasers is a vital capability. From artillery targeting systems to drones, sniper range finders and precision strike guided munitions, lasers pose an increasing threat on the modern battlefield.
This challenge inspired Sean Tipper and Chris Burgess, while working as scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), to develop a new approach to laser detection. Their innovation showed great promise during development at Dstl, where the core technology was conceived and initially tested.
“We worked on the core technology at Dstl for a number of years, developing the fundamental concepts,” explains Sean Tipper, now Chief Technology Officer at Sentinel Photonics. “We saw the potential for this technology to help protect our forces and founded Sentinel Photonics to take it to the next level of development and productisation.”
In 2019 the scientists and Ploughshare Innovations founded Sentinel Photonics to commercialise their invention, licencing the IP from Dstl and the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The company formally began operations in late 2020 with the critical support of early Dstl funding through the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA).
A new way of detecting lasers
Traditional laser warning systems rely on photodiodes that convert light to voltage, looking for rapid temporal changes. They look for quick, sharp changes, similar to how you can notice someone flicking a torch on and off in a dark room.
While effective for detecting laser pulses, they struggle with continuous wave lasers and can generate false alarms.
Sentinel’s breakthrough product, LASERD MAX (Laser Signal and Event Recording Device), uses a unique camera-based method that detects the spectral and spatial features of lasers. What sets LASERD MAX apart from conventional systems is its portability and comprehensive coverage. It doesn’t just monitor a narrow field of view but provides complete awareness.
“It’s more of an all-encompassing system,” explains Tipper. “It’s easy to detect one laser in one direction, but what makes our system unique is the ability to detect many different types of lasers simultaneously in a clustered background, even in challenging daylight conditions.”
The system can detect everything from drone LIDAR systems and artillery rangefinders to anti-tank guided missiles. It can also spot battlefield scanning systems that use invisible lasers to find hidden optics like sniper scopes.
“Our system can detect a broad range of laser threats,” says Tipper. “It’s novel because it’s portable and standalone, targeted for dismounted use and also at forward operating bases.”
The DASA and Dstl Impact
DASA and Dstl support proved instrumental at multiple points in Sentinel Photonics’ development journey. Their first DASA projects in late 2020 provided critical funding that allowed Tipper to work full-time on developing the technology.
“Those early DASA projects were really critical because that’s where I experimented with different sensors and camera systems and picked the exact sensors and optics we’re still using today,” says Tipper.
As Sentinel Photonics progressed with their innovation journey, they reached a critical point where they needed to grow their team to meet increasing demand and develop their technology further.
In 2022, DASA’s Defence Innovation Loans provided the perfect opportunity to take this next step.
The loan helped transform the organisation from a founder-led startup into a growing enterprise with the capabilities to deliver advanced defence technology.
“Without the Defence Innovation Loan, we wouldn’t have been able to deliver for Dstl, and we wouldn’t have had the resources to increase the size of our team,” Tipper notes.
Commercial Success
Sentinel Photonics’ progress has been remarkable. From just one person working part-time in 2020, the company has grown to 20 people by 2025. Their product line has expanded to include not just the LASERD MAX detection system but also products such as FROST (Filters for Reduction of Optical Signature Thresholds). The FROST system, also developed with DASA funding and Dstl technical support, protects eyes from laser damage and prevents detection by scanning systems. This technology has achieved significant commercial success and has been integrated into the KS1 rifles that have entered service with UK Armed Forces through a partnership with Edgar Brothers, Sentinels UK partner, as part of the Hunter programme.
Sentinel Photonics’ FROST system installed on a KS1 scope
The company has also expanded its reach beyond the UK. “We’re expanding across Europe and NATO nations in general, finding partners to bring our products into those markets,” says Tipper. “There’s a direct link from DASA-funded work to us making sales and getting partners into markets.”
The SME has now established strategic collaborations with Glomex in Poland, TBM in the Netherlands, StarC4SIS in Romania and Precision Technic Defence Group in Denmark to add to its already established partnerships with Danger Solutions in Australia and Outervision in France.
The Collaborative Ecosystem
Sentinel’s story highlights the powerful collaboration between Dstl, DASA, and innovative small businesses. Dstl provided the foundation for the core technology and continues to work with Sentinel Photonics by providing technical support. DASA helped bridge the critical gap between concept and the commercially viable product.
For Sentinel, DASA’s involvement has offered more than just funding. “DASA has been a very useful mechanism to test ideas and feasibility within defence,” explains Tipper. “It gives us a way to understand how important what we’re developing is to potential users and get early sight of that as well.”
Looking ahead, Sentinel aims to shift from an R&D focused in its early years to a balanced commercial approach to increase their foothold in defence. As threats continue to evolve on the modern battlefield, innovations like Sentinel’s laser detection systems and FROST system can play an increasingly vital role in protecting UK and coalition forces. Their journey from laboratory concept to battlefield protection demonstrates the importance of supporting promising defence technologies through the challenging path of commercialisation. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
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About Galvion:
Galvion designs, develops, and delivers mission critical head, face, and torso protective solutions as well as intelligent power and data management systems for the world’s most demanding military and tactical teams. Founded in 2002 as Revision Military, a foundational belief in calculated investment and capability expansion led to a strategic refocus, resulting in the divestiture of the protective eyewear business, along with the Revision name, in 2019. Rebranded as Galvion, the company’s products and technology continue to evolve beyond purely passive protection, focusing instead on active systems that enhance performance and survivability, with an eye to the ever-changing demands of the modern battlefield. Through advanced design, keen end-user insight and intelligent integration, Galvion engineers uniquely customized solutions that go beyond what was once thought possible.
Privately owned with ISO 9001:2015 certified facilities in Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the US, Montreal in Canada and Bristol in the UK, Galvion’s team of 400+ employees work proactively to solve the problems left unsolved by others.
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