RFA Lyme Bay is set to be fitted with new uncrewed mine countermeasures systems, enabling the ship to operate as a mothership for autonomous minehunting equipment, the Royal Navy has said.
The Bay-class vessel will receive the technology during a period in Gibraltar, where it will be configured to store, deploy and recover a range of uncrewed systems, including underwater vehicles and minehunting boats. The upgrade follows the ship being brought to heightened readiness in recent weeks.
Once fitted, Lyme Bay will be able to act as a forward base for mine countermeasures operations, using a plug-and-play command and control system to coordinate multiple autonomous platforms. The systems are designed to detect, identify and neutralise mines without exposing personnel directly to the threat.
“RFA Lyme Bay preparing for a possible minehunting mothership role is a perfect example of how we are building a Hybrid Navy,” said First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins. “By harnessing autonomous technology we are ensuring the Royal Navy remains at the forefront of underwater defence.”
Captain Mark Colley, the Commanding Officer of Lyme Bay, added:
“The RFA is a crucial support arm of the Royal Navy and being able to act as an MCM mothership once again shows how we can adapt to the operational demand where needed. I am proud of the work my ship’s company has done to prepare RFA Lyme Bay, and be ready to embark this kit. Having recently returned to high readiness, we have been put through our paces but I know we are ready to support this autonomous uncrewed kit so as to play an important role in its use.”
That’s one less of the three for doing other missions.
So the hybrid navy is not going to add new ships, it’s existing ships with bolt ones? The sale of one to Australia now seems shortsighted, but I don’t imaging Korea would charge much for a similar ship?
To think, Albion or Bulwark had docks that could do that. Ocean could have been converted to a drone launcher and Himars parked on the deck could fire PrSM.
The B1 Rivers are going. Shrinking fleet, no new money.
smoke and mirrors, more demanned from less, most statements are about hidden cuts dressed up as up grades. We are for ever cutting ships and kit but are still skint. Where does the so called money saved go?
A Bay class has been acting as an MCM mother ship in the gulf almost continuously since 2003. I agree that selling one of the four was a daft idea because they are so useful but right now we need a big asset to send to the gulf to support our world beating anti mine system and the bays are perfect for the task.
The Gulf is a high threat area though, as is the mission so a Bay would need an escort or it’s own frigate level self defence.
That’s the issue. The UK Govt could order a large mothership vessel with a T31 weapons fit now, for delivery in 5 years, but has no intention to do so
Illuminating post on NLO regarding the announcement of 2028 as the OSD for the batch 1 Rivers. It’s a tactic to force the Treasury to finance T31s service entry before 2030.
Will she receive any defensive up dates? after all sht will be a prime target and we are limited in escorts. Great to see the navy moving on and getting with the times.
The Toy Navy is getting ready to blow away Iranian sea mines; I doubt Trump will acknowledge the fact.
We willl be one the best at it, but still think its not our fight, but its good to see people in the navy thinking ahead to do more with less
The problem with the Bays is that they are not MILSPEC DC. They also have a huge freeboard which will show up like of block of flats on a basic radar.
Whereas something smaller…..like a survey vessel would be easier to reduce RCS on….or even dare I say it a River……
This is where the Albions etc would have been more than useful.
There does need to a real conversation about how conventional navy is ring-FENCED from DNO so that it isn’t just cut every time DNO expands.
This is why we need the type 32. A frigate able to operate drones easily with a stern ramp but able to provide air cover via missiles and medium caliber cannons like the boffors 40mm.
Indeed this is exactly what the LCS was suppose to be before the Pentagon and Congress turned it into a 4,000 tone unarmed speed boat/ job creation program.
The navy needs to drastically reduce the MRSS program to two large ships and get the type 32 program back.
Problem is that both are needed.
What isn’t needed is an over complex camel that try’s to address both uses and fails and thereby becomes over complex and over expensive.
This will lead to a class that is cut early as it is over specialist to crew and therefore ‘expensive’.
So yes to T32 and MRSS as we need a much bigger surface fleet in spite of what Hugo etc will pop up and say.
The last month or so have been a humiliating wake up call but like all unpleasant medicine it can be a positive.
I agree we need an amphibious ship and that it will have to have its own missile protection capabilities but I don’t think we need 6 of them and they should not be mascarading as some half frigate/ strike ship.
Steel is cheap, air is free and an RM commando is not that big. Two or three large vessels is plenty. We can build them up to 40,000(t) with out too much difficulty.
It’s make do and mend, while dealing with cut after cut dressed up as money saving. When the money saved just vanishes
A competent ally and/or a T45 will have to provide Lyme Bay with naval protection. Would it help if the US took Qeshm Island with its airport and deployed drone and anti-cruise missile defences?
The navy isn’t thinking ahead. It’s Labour doing things on the cheap. The R.M.’s are being quietly removed from any real amphibious role at the same time.
How do you figure that?
What did labour do to influence the availability of MCM units in the gulf. What could they have done after 18 months in power to influence such a thing?
The die was set over a decade ago on that.
Even if repayments had been ordered in late 00s they would only have been coming into service mid 20’s…
I was responding to the article Jim, but you’re right. Apart from getting rid of Argus, Albion and Bulwark. the government hasn’t done anythng to the R.N. Absolutely nothing about anything. Perhaps the DIP will mention something in the future. To br fair they haven’t done anything for the other services either.
It’s cuts dressed up as some thing ekse, with millions saved but never seen again. It’s about money nothing else. Ie get by with bare minimum and hope we never need fight
Agreed – the great British improvisation culture…
The vanishing face of government Martin. Well, Healey seems to have disappeared anyway.
Hmm, preparing for the post war period in the Gulf per-chance..?
It will be interesting to see how this develops. Does it represent a turning point for the RN’s once formidable Mine Counter Measures capability? If these systems prove at least as effective as the Hunt and Sandown classes with the flexibility to deploy by air and operate from shore bases it will represent a significant step forward.
Good news that we seems to be able to kit out a Bay class, assuming it is a full capability…
Cheers CR
PS the local politics program is headlining with a piece on the state of the Royal Navy..! Things to seem to be changing with talk of “needing to prepare for war!”
Mainstream news is that more money needs to be spent on RN…which is good….
Agreed. The presenter was brutally clear about the state of the RN, which is all to the good.
They also had a Green politician on the program and the presenter pressed her on their Defence policy. He laboured the point that they wanted to cut Defence spending. She tried to wriggle out of the point by saying Defence included Climate Change, cyber, etc… Load of rubbish and the presenter pushed the issue until she admitted that they plan to cut ‘military’ spending by 50% for gods sake. Madness. For Greens read Pacifistic CND nutters..! 50% ..!!!!!! Putin would love that..!
Cheers CR
Whut?
It’s a job they’ve done before, but we really need as much amphibious shipping as we can get.
My thoughts as well. They’re not built to military standards, so why should we not do what was done with Proteus and Stirling Castle – buy an OSV and convert it.
Great.
An example of a hybrid navy, says the 1SL.
Yes, flexibility is good, and these are good vessels.
But you’re deflecting again, aren’t you?
Or…an example of DESPERATION as you take an asset from it’s intended role and improvise, as you have nothing else to use so HMG can GRANDSTAND at how we are “stepping up” when inevitably the RN USVs are actually deployed into the Gulf, as some imbecile in HMG/HMT still hasn’t got off their backside and green lighted funding for the 3 dedicated mother vessels to be ordered.
Echo Sqn of the MTXG was reported deployed there weeks ago, with a whole 8 personnel…
Using a Bay as a mother has been standard for years in the Gulf. It was hoped that they could all go back to doing their main role, amphibious support, especially as in the meantime Ocean, Albion, Bulwark have all gone.
Leaving the UK with what? 1 vessel in role? Or none? If the other two are laid up or in refit?
An even greater horror will be if Phase 2 of MCM capability has been watered down and the mothers aren’t coming.
This also says a lot about the usefulness of HMS Stirling Castle, which was reported to be for UK waters only.
As always, threadbare.
And while I’m in full flow, you have offered our 3 Batch 1 Rivers to Uraguay. Replacement?
No doubt, withdrawl of some of the River B2s. That’s not replacement, that is standard MoD/HMG robbing Peter to pay Paul, just as seen here, as you use existing assets to replace.
And the fleet drops further.
Said River B1s are being used to intercept Russian vessels in the UK EEZ.
Tell me, what will you use once they are gone…a Dinghy?
Hybrid, remember……1SL?
Pathetic.
The ongoing level of cuts is quite frightening in a period of threat ratcheting up.
The sake and scrapping of the Albions is nonsense in an era of lack of hulls.
The loss of Argus and the lack of deployment of the other Bays and Tide is also bonkers and means a lack of presence. Lack of presence leads to vacuums that others fill.
Same with moving to sell the Rivers which are useful for UK EEZ escort work and training.
The issue is the huge drop in hull numbers and no real likelihood of any T31s being full in service until the end of the decade now. I really hope that is wrong.
Stirling Castle is what she is, a cheaply built merchant ship with nothing beyond the legal minimum civilian structural, fire and damage resistance standards built in.
A burst from an AK47 to the bridge would render her inoperative.
OPERATION DESPERATION
The guy sesms to have his priorities right, but he can stop with the BS – any pretending should stop. We are small, we are in trouble, we are broke. Taking a ship from Peter to pay Paul won’t change that.
RFA plugging gaps once again, whilst on the verge of strike action too. Funny old thing that these unsung heroes are being asked to step in, whilst some of the low to middle ranks currently are working below the national minimum wage. Also I wonder if Healey knows how many ships the RFA currently have operating due to manning issues.
They only got back above the legal minimum 80% manning levels by laying half the ships up.
Another day, another unmanned wunderwaffe