During the International Economic Forum Gdynia 2014, Association of Polish Maritime Industries awarded the “Innovative Maritime Economy” prize, in the innovative product category, to OBR Centrum Techniki Morskiej S.A. for developing the Modular Lightweight Minesweep (MLM), as a significant contribution to development of modern unmanned mine countermeasure systems.
This year, the prizes were granted in five categories with the object of honouring achievements of companies, persons and undertakings of the maritime industry. As the trojmiasto.pl portal informed “The form of statuette resembles that the same as competent polishing of diamond creates the brilliant of enormous value, as thanks to implemented innovations the company becomes competing, builds its majority and increases the market value”.
It is worth to notice, that Modular Lightweight Minesweep (MLM) developed by OBR CTM S.A. in Gdynia in less than four months was awarded three times. After the “Amber Medallion” award and distinction of the National Defence Ministry, the minesweep received on 10th October 2014 the prize mentioned above.
The MLM is a significant intellectual contribution of Poland to development of modern unmanned systems of mine fighting threats. It is very possible that it will be implemented in the NATO naval forces. The Modular Lightweight Minesweep was created on the base of influence magneto-acoustic sweep “Promienica”, produced for the Polish Navy.
The MLM is used to fight modern naval mines with an ability of identification of the determined type of ship, basing on the measurement of generated physical fields. The minesweep reconstructing fields characteristics, precisely simulates the virtual image of protected ship. This kind of image is created by the following fields: magneto-static, magnetic alternate, electric static, electric alternate and acoustic. The minesweep consists of set of basic inductors connected by cable-lines and control and feeding deck devices.
The process of developing optimum parameters of work (Program “OPTYMA Mod.”) and guidance and control of minesweep work was automated to degree, which allows its fully and easy use from the level of guidance-control deck interface. The interface software contains all options of entering, appointing and control of characteristic parameters of mine countermeasure actions, including automatic appointing the width of minesweep zones in different depths. The MLM is intended to be used during maritime operations such as: moving the vessels through endangered basin, creating passages to ports, planned routes out of passage etc. Works on the mentioned above system go from 2012 and are realized by the consortium with the participation of Norway, France, Germany, Italy and Poland in range of the “Modular Lightweight Minesweeping” project, being a part of the “UMS European Defence Agency (Ed’s UMS)” programme. Within the project, OBR CTM S.A. drawed up and build a demonstrator of the technology of the autonomous acoustic-electromagnetic mine fighting system. This year, the demonstrator was tested on military training grounds of the French Navy in Brest, getting very good results. Implementation of such an unmanned system gives new chance to the Polish Navy to acquire the effective, safe mine countermeasure on the shallow waters typical for the South Baltic, where using mine countermeasure ships makes a great threat to them from the side of mine countermeasure weapon.