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29 Dec 25. Thales secures major contract to transform Royal Navy mine countermeasures with AI powered remote command centres
- Thales has been awarded a major contract by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) for the design, development and delivery of the next-generation of portable autonomous command centres, marking a significant advancement in the transformation of the Royal Navy’s Mine Counter Measures (MCM) capability.
- This contract, which will revolutionise maritime autonomous mine hunting, directly supports the UK’s Strategic Defence vision for a “Hybrid Navy”.
- Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) from cortAIx, the powerful AI accelerator from Thales, the Mi-Map and M-Cube applications accelerate and secure operations at the heart of the command centre.
- Thales is leveraging its 60-year heritage in mine counter measures and strong investment in new technologies to continue delivering cutting-edge systems.
Awarded under the Autonomous Remote Command Centre (RCC) contract, this initial £10 m investment marks the first stage of a programme which has scope to grow to up to £100m to deliver next-generation mine countermeasures capability for the Royal Navy. The Group will lead the integration of multiple unmanned assets, both above and below the water, into becoming a true system of systems for safer, more efficient and agile mine hunting missions. It will provide the hardware, software, training and technical advice collaborating with a robust UK supply chain to enable iterative capability improvement and rapid technology adoption. The Thales M-Cube Mission Management System will be at the heart of the command centres. This combat-proven software suite is already used by multiple navies worldwide for planning, execution and evaluation of both conventional and autonomous MCM missions. It provides unparalleled situational awareness from the task force to individual unit level. Mi-Map planning and evaluation software lies at the heart of the Royal Navy’s new remote Command Centre. Featuring advanced AI-powered automatic target recognition, it empowers operators by intelligently filtering and refining raw data, streamlining and expediting the mine hunting process. Leveraging machine learning, Mi-Map continually enhances its database and processes vast quantities of information beyond human capability. Not only it accelerates target identification but also delivers superior accuracy and effectiveness compared to traditional systems. This sophisticated AI is developed with the support of cortAIx, Thales AI accelerator with a global workforce of 800 experts in AI within the Group serving the performance of sovereign advanced systems and sensors in critical environments. Working with programme partners, Thales will initially deliver twin-containerised solutions that will seamlessly integrate platforms, systems and sub-systems. This highly flexible capability, will transform how MCM is conducted – allowing Royal Navy personnel to coordinate a fleet of uncrewed and autonomous assets, greatly increasing operational effectiveness while maximising personnel safety. Its utility, for autonomous command and control, has application across the seabed warfare domain and aligns with the UK Government’s vision for a ‘Hybrid Navy’ and the Royal Navy’s Long Term Capability Plan for MCM mission systems integration.
30 Dec 25. Belarus shows off deployment of Russian nuclear-capable Oreshnik missiles on its territory. Belarus on Tuesday released video of what it said was the deployment on its territory of the Russian nuclear-capable hypersonic Oreshnik missile system, a development that bolsters Moscow’s ability to deliver missiles across Europe. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin who has also embarked on talks with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, announced the deployment of the intermediate-range ballistic earlier this month. Some Western experts have said that the deployment, which would make it slightly faster for Russian nuclear missiles to reach European targets in the event of a war, underscores the Kremlin’s growing reliance on the threat of nuclear weapons as it seeks to deter NATO members from supplying Kyiv with weapons that can strike deep inside Russia. Two U.S. researchers have said that, according to their study of satellite images, Moscow is likely stationing the missiles and their mobile launchers at a former airbase in eastern Belarus. Video released by the Belarusian Defence Ministry on Tuesday did not disclose the location of the missile systems, but showed mobile launchers and their crews driving along forest roads and specialist troops camouflaging the systems with netting. A senior officer was shown telling troops that the systems had officially been placed on combat duty and, as light snow fell in the background, speaking of regular training and reconnaissance routines for the missile crews. Moscow tested a conventionally armed Oreshnik – Russian for Hazel tree – against a target in Ukraine in November 2024. Putin boasts that it’s impossible to intercept because of velocities reportedly exceeding Mach 10. (Source: Reuters)
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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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