Euronews recently had the opportunity to join the French minehunting ship Le Capricorne during an underwater minehunting exercise off the coast of Crete, Greece. This exercise, known as Ariadne 2025, involved military teams from Greece, France, Romania, Belgium, and the US. The aim of the exercise was to work on interoperability with allied navies and test the teams’ ability to spot mines under pressure from enemies.
Commandant Stéphane Méline explained that the scenario for the exercise involved a fictional country called Minoas Land, which had been mined by a terrorist faction. The taskgroup’s mission was to intervene on a UN resolution to guarantee freedom of movement in Minoas Land’s territorial waters.
Underwater mine clearing is vital for getting rid of mines and unexploded bombs left over from conflicts, with hundreds cleared along the French coast each year. The use of next-generation naval drones is expected to revolutionize the process by replacing the need for demagnetized ships to navigate over minefields, ultimately reducing risks to sailors’ lives. The French military is currently testing such a drone, which is set to come online in the upcoming years.
The multinational Anti-Mine Warfare Exercise highlighted the importance of cooperation between allied navies in minehunting operations. With advancements in technology and the development of naval drones, the future of underwater mine clearing looks promising and safer for military personnel involved in such operations.
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