Thales leads SEANICE Consortium for future European ASW

The European Commission has selected a Thales-led consortium to scope, prototype, and demonstrate a next-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) solution based on manned/unmanned teaming capabilities.

Known as SEANICE (anti-Submarine warfare European Autonomous Networked Innovative and Collaborative Environment), the 24-month project aims to mature solutions to detect, identify, counter, and protect against mobile manned, unmanned or autonomous underwater systems (including those operating at deep depth). These include submarines, midget submarines/swimmer delivery vehicles, unmanned underwater vehicles, heavyweight torpedoes, high-speed underwater weapons, and naval mines.

Valued at EUR11.5 million (USD13.5 million) overall, of which the European Union (EU) is contributing a maximum EUR9 million, the SEANICE project is intended to lay the foundations for a hybrid, next-generation ASW system based on manned and unmanned platforms. “It will build from a realistic operational scenario representing a likely use-case of [ASW] protection of a task group in the next decade within the European framework,” said the European Commission.

“SEANICE will take advantage of new-edge technologies that leverage the best collaborative way to execute manned and unmanned missions in an optimised combination to enhance detection, tracking, and classification capabilities,” the organisation added.

The SEANICE Consortium comprises 16 partner organisations – industry, small/medium enterprises and research bodies – representing six countries (Belgium, France, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, and Spain). France is the lead country and Thales is the co-ordinator of the consortium. Other consortium members comprise Airbus Defence & Space, Alkan, Alseamar, CEIIA, Edisoft, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica, GMVIS Skysoft, the Latvian Maritime Academy, Leonardo, Naval Group, RTSYS, Scalian Groupe, SIEL, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and Wsense.