Mine countermeasures from the air: Belgian Navy trains with Saab's Skeldar V-200 drone

For mine countermeasures, the Belgian Navy has tested an unmanned helicopter in recent weeks: at Ursel airfield, the Skeldar V-200 from Swedish defence group Saab successfully completed its first training flights. The drone is to enable the new mine countermeasures vessels to locate and neutralise sea mines far more effectively.

The unmanned helicopter is around 4.5 metres wide and weighs about 250 kilograms. Depending on payload, the system stays airborne for up to four hours.

More distance from the minefield

Captain Kristof Van Belleghem, Chief of Staff of the Navy, describes the benefit: “Thanks to the data link, the Skeldar allows us to conduct mine countermeasures operations from a much greater distance.” He adds: “In addition, the system can also be used to reconnoitre drifting sea mines, which considerably increases the safety of the mother ship.” For the crews this means a decisive gain in safety, as mine countermeasures vessels will in future be able to stay outside the actual minefield.

The current training flights initially focused only on flight operations as such. The operators learned the flight controls, built up routine and logged the required flight hours. Three modes are available: manual flight, in which course, speed and altitude are set directly; automatic flight along a pre-programmed route; and flying defined search and mission patterns.

Operations from sea and from land

A Remote Pilot System (RPS) controls and monitors the Skeldar V-200. The first trials still used the manufacturer's control stations; the Belgian armed forces are to receive their own RPS systems in future. Because these are also available in containerised form, the Skeldar can operate both from sea and from land.

The Navy currently has two Skeldar drones; the fleet is to grow to ten systems in the coming years. The drones are part of the modular drone toolbox of the new mine countermeasures vessels. This toolbox can be configured differently depending on the mission and can likewise be deployed from sea or from land. The first new mine countermeasures vessel, the M940 Oostende, recently arrived in Zeebrugge.

Mine countermeasures as a Belgian-Dutch joint project

Beyond the Belgian milestone, the integration of the Skeldar V-200 also reflects the close cooperation between Belgium and the Netherlands in the rMCM (Replacement Mine Countermeasures) programme. This binational project is to completely renew the mine countermeasures capabilities of both navies.

A total of twelve ships are being built, six each for the Belgian Navy and the Koninklijke Marine. All units are to be operational by 2030. The contract went in 2019 to Belgium Naval & Robotics, a consortium of Naval Group and Exail. The test flights at Ursel were closely coordinated with the Royal Netherlands Navy; they are regarded as a key step in preparing both navies for future mine countermeasures.