“Naval Group’s R&D centre of excellence in mine warfare is an entity of the Belgian subsidiary and partner of the MCM Lab,” explains Christian Laine, Chief Technical Officer and Director of the MCM Lab. “In this context, industry and academia work together on R&D projects alongside sailors to design and implement additional solutions for the rMCM program within a short development cycle. This agile approach is facilitated by close collaboration within a small team. As such, Naval Group actively supports Belgium’s leadership, with the country serving as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) reference point for naval innovation in mine countermeasures. Sailors are regularly involved to ensure that developments remain aligned with operational needs. This approach enables projects to rapidly progress toward an operational product tailored to its environment”.
Four examples of innovations led by the MCM Lab
Fleet manager
Customised naval ERP for managing a stand-off mine warfare fleet
Fleet Manager, launched in early 2023, is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system developed in collaboration with Space Application Services and the Belgian Navy. It supports the planning of force deployment and resource allocation, as well as Through-Life Support (TLS), serving both general staff and various naval services on a daily and annual basis. The product is currently being finalised for deployment.
Cormorant
A multi-environment and multi-sensor platform
Launched in mid-2022, the Cormorant addresses the need to operate a wide range of sensors in both air and underwater environments using a single platform, in compliance with NATO standards. Equipped with discreet immersion and emergence capabilities via its ballast system, it was developed in collaboration with the Free University of Brussels. After two years of development, it is now ready for industrialisation and commercialisation.
Drifting Mines
The UAV-based detection and identification system for drifting mines
Initiated in mid-2023, the Drifting Mines project brings together academic and industrial partners along with the Belgian Navy’s testing facilities. A prototype was implemented during the NATO REPMUS 2024 exercise. The Critical Design Review (CDR) will take place in the first half of 2026.
NAVAC
Mitigation of low-frequency engine emissions
Launched in mid-2024, the NAVAC project is a complementary system designed for the engines used in the rMCM program, developed in partnership with the SME Micromega Dynamics, and ABC, the supplier of the rMCM engines. The project benefits from the support and expertise of Naval Group. Qualification tests for the system are scheduled to take place in the second half of 2025.