On November 3, the UK MoD published a notice communicating the intent to award to HII Unmanned Systems Inc. the contract for 8 Mission Systems (Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles) for the Mine Hunting Capability Block 2 requirement. The notice initiates the 8-day standstill period legally required before signing the contract; the earliest date the contract will be signed, if there are no legal challenges, is November 16.
HII has been selected in the face of rival offers entered by TKMS Atlas UK Limited, Teledyne Gavia ehf and Exail Robotics SAS. TKMS Atlas UK was effectively the “incumbent” having supplied the 3 suites of medium UUVs for MHC Block 1 with its SeaCat product.
HII is however an even longer standing supplier of UUVs to the Royal Navy through the REMUS line of drones, from the smaller 100 to the large 600 and, most recently, a number of REMUS 300 systems. The contract to be signed could have a value, including VAT, as high as £363.6 million. It is to include 8 mission suites, believed to consist of 3 UUVs each; 8 Launch and Recovery systems and 3 years of support beginning from the delivery of the first system.
Significant options are included to reach the maximum value, however: 2 1-year options to extend In-Service Support are included alongside an option to procure up to 12 additional mission suites. The procurement for the MHC Block 2 UUVs was initiated in 2025. The Block 2 UUV forms a key part of the MHC Mission System and will be used operationally to Detect, Classify and Localise mines on the seabed “to a minimum of 200 metres”, launched and recovered from an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV).
The Royal Navy specified that the USV used to embark the new UUVs and their launch and recovery system will be the ARCIMS type boats supplied by TKMS Atlas UK. These USVs are already used (among other roles) to deploy the SeaCat medium UUV in the Block 1 systems. Each suite of UUVs is assumed to comprise 3 drones, although we wait for confirmation at contract award.
It is not at this stage clear which drone HII has entered for the competition, but coincidentally, on November 3, Thales and HII announced the results of a notable demonstration combining HII’s new REMUS 620 drone with a SAMDIS sonar payload by Thales.
The Thales SAMDIS sonar in its USV-towed form is part of MHC already. Thales is also under contract to deliver the new, unified containerized Command Posts for MHC Block 2.
Thales is known to be partnered with HII for the MHC Block 2 entry, along with SeeByte Ltd (long standing provider of the UUV mission control software used by the Royal Navy), Feritech Global Ltd, Infinity Systems Engineering Ltd and Philspace Ltd.
REMUS 620 is also one of the UUVs that has been involved with AUKUS trials of UUV deployment through the torpedo tubes of SSNs, although so far only with the US Navy. The Royal Navy’s ASTUTE class submarine carried out trials with L3Harris’s IVER 4-series UUV (project SCYLLA).
Another recent notice also announced the award to Leonardo of a contract for a new set of 12 IFF systems used on the USVs, plus options. This in turns signals progress towards the procurement of additional uncrewed surface vehicles.
Known plans from 2024 anticipated a new competition for new USVs in the summer of 2027, although timelines might have changed in the meanwhile.
MHC Block 2 will expand the capabilities of the 3 Mission Systems built up under the Block 1 phase and add 3 more full systems. Each system is anticipated to grow to include 3 rather than 2 USVs, with 2 towed sonar kits, 2 mine neutralization ROV kits; 1 combined influence sweep kit; 1 suite of 3 medium UUVs, all coordinated from a single new Remote Control Centre. The RCC and Medium UUVs are the first elements to move towards full procurement.
It is also anticipated that MHC will expand to include an air component with 3 UAS, indicatively more of the already in-service Shiebel S100 PEREGRINE. No orders in this sense have yet materialized. 3 Standardised Vessels – Large are planned to be procured from Norway to serve as the deployable motherships, with 3 more possibly to follow. The new vessels are to replace the remaining 5 HUNT-class an 1 SANDOWN-class MCM ships by around 2031.
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