Elbit Systems demos unmanned counter-mine vessel

June 28 (UPI) -- Elbit Systems said its Multi-Mission Unmanned Surface Vessel, known as the Seagull, has demonstrated its mine counter-measure capabilities during binational trials in the North Sea.

The tests, which the Belgian Defense Ministry organized, involved autonomous end-to-end unmanned mine counter-measure missions despite rough seas and waves roughly 6 to 10 feet high.

"The bi-national trials that were conducted by the Belgian Navy clearly demonstrated the unmatched operational capabilities of the Seagull," Yaron Levy, vice president of Naval Systems in Elbit Systems' ISTAR Division, said in a news release Wednesday.

The Seagull can be operated from shore stations or a mother ship. It is designed for missions such as anti-submarine warfare, mine hunting and sweeping, electronic warfare and maritime security.

It is about 39 feet long and has an endurance of more than four days.

In the bi-national mine counter-measure trials, the Seagull demonstrated it could: scan the water column in one path, operate its K5900 side scan sonar and R2Sonic Forward Looking Sonar for the detection and classification of mines and maneuver a VideoRay -- a light and remotely operated vehicle to conduct the identification and demolition phase of the mine-hunting mission.