WASHINGTON, June 24 (UPI) -- A remote mine-hunting system for use on U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ships has completed reliability testing.
The RMS is comprised of a semi-submersible remote multi-mission vehicle equipped with variable depth, mine-hunting sonar to detect, classify, identify and locate bottom and moored mines.
Reliability testing was conducted at the Lockheed Martin facilities at Riviera Beach, Fla. Involved in it were sailors from the Littoral Combat Ship Squadron Mine Countermeasures Detachment and engineers from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division.
"Initial analysis of the data indicates that we have met or exceeded the reliability growth program objectives and are ready to proceed to the developmental test phase, which is scheduled to commence in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2013," said Steve Lose, Lockheed's remote mine-hunting system program manager.
"I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this event," said Rear Adm. James Murdoch, program executive officer for littoral combat ships. "It gives us great confidence as we prepare for the next phases of RMS and LCS mine counter-measures mission package testing."
The Navy said the system has now undergone more than 850 hours of testing during 47 missions over a four-month period.
