Herne drone pioneers in maritime defense innovation
The world is closely watching the war in Ukraine, one of the more intriguing aspects of which has been the use of sea drones to strike the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Now, the British company BAE Systems has unveiled the Herne XLAUV underwater drone demonstrator. We present what is known about it.
In collaboration with the Canadian company Cellula Robotics, engineers from the British company BAE Systems transitioned from a digital project to a functional demonstrator of the autonomous underwater drone named Herne in just 11 months. It is an Extra Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (XLAUV).
As Scott Jamieson, Managing Director of Maritime Programs at BAE Systems, presented, "Herne is a game changer in the underwater battlespace. It will give our customers a cost effective autonomous capability that will allow for a wide range of missions, end the reliance on crewed platforms, keeping people out of harm’s way and boosting endurance."
Herne underwater drone — a key tool for monitoring underwater critical infrastructure
Herne is designed to monitor and protect underwater infrastructure on a large scale, support operations against enemy submarines, and conduct covert reconnaissance missions. The unmanned machine ensures significant progress here, as there is no need for life support systems or a crew supply of food or water.
This allows reconnaissance operations to last longer, and more space can be allocated for the power source without increasing the size. Other advantages include quieter operation, making it difficult for sonars to detect, and the fact that such a drone can be sent to very dangerous locations, as losing such a unit is far less burdensome for the command than losing one with a human crew.
Herne is set to use the autonomous military navigation system Nautomate, which can be implemented on existing and newly built ships. This, combined with the Herne drone's open architecture, allows for easy integration with current ships, enabling a significant increase in operational perception and the addition of new capabilities in the future.
Another advantage of the deep-sea autonomy system is the ability to conduct long-term patrols without replenishing supplies or life support systems, positioning Herne ahead of traditional manned units. Thanks to the system's open architecture, further improvements to this vehicle are possible as new technologies emerge.
For example, ships equipped with underwater drones would be the ideal solution for patrolling areas like underwater fibre-optic cables, which are crucial for today's nations. Just consider the recent damage to the underwater cable between Germany and Finland.
The dimensions of the drone have not been specified, but in some concepts, it appears to fit within a standard shipping container so that it may have a diameter of about 2 metres and up to 12 metres in length. Its equipment is expected to vary according to the configuration, including a towed sonar, radar, or an optoelectronic head with a day or thermal camera.
