ECA Group unveils mid-sized mine warfare AUV

French autonomous systems developer ECA Group has unveiled a new mid-sized mine counter measure autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) off Toulon, southern France.

The A18-M AUV is capable of mine detection and classification in water depths up to 300 metres. It is designed to operate close to "smart mines" without triggering them.

Its synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) covers two square kilometres per hour and can cover up to 40 square kilometres.

It is also capable of deploying from small naval platforms, such as unmanned surface vehicles.