Thales has launched a new expeditionary mine countermeasures system designed to allow naval forces to conduct full missions from a wide range of platforms, according to the company.
Known as Expeditionary PathMaster, the system is built around a portable operations centre and enables mine warfare tasks to be carried out from shore, small boats, minehunters or other vessels. It is designed to support a hybrid approach, integrating both crewed and uncrewed systems, including third-party autonomous assets.
The system builds on technology already delivered to the French Navy and incorporates capabilities that Thales says have also been adopted by the Royal Navy and other international users.
At its core is an expeditionary portable operations centre, allowing rapid deployment and control of mine countermeasures missions in austere or forward environments. The system has already been demonstrated with the Lithuanian Navy, where it integrated autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles and conventional minehunting platforms.
Thales said the system leverages its cortAIx artificial intelligence framework to accelerate sonar data processing and improve detection accuracy. Its Mi-Map analysis tool is designed to process sonar data up to four times faster than conventional systems, with classification accuracy claimed at 99%. This is paired with the M-Cube mission management system, which enables operators to run and monitor multiple sonar analysis tasks simultaneously, providing real-time updates on detected objects and mission progress.
The company positions the system as part of a shift towards distributed and autonomous mine warfare, where smaller, deployable systems can operate independently or alongside traditional platforms.
Sébastien Guérémy, Vice President of Underwater Systems at Thales, said: “As seas become increasingly contested and navies face unexpected threats and challenges, mine countermeasures have become a key discipline to ensure the sovereignty and safety of critical infrastructures and sea lines of communication.”
He added that the system represents a “turnkey” capability combining modularity, scalability and artificial intelligence to support naval operations.
Thales has been active in the mine countermeasures domain for more than five decades, with systems designed to detect, classify, identify and neutralise underwater threats in complex environments. The company said Expeditionary PathMaster is available for deployment immediately.
