How to overcome the "underwater trap" and conduct anti-mine warfare? Why do unmanned platforms have unique advantages?

Mines have the characteristics of good concealment, sudden attack, easy deployment and difficult removal, great destructive power and long threat period. They have played a huge role in base defense, anti-landing and waterway blockade operations. They can effectively deter and clamp enemy troop movements and paralyze enemy maritime transportation. They are a powerful weapon for strong countries to blockade their opponents and for weak countries to fight against strong enemies. Therefore, to this day, anti-mine warfare remains an important issue for the navies of many countries.

Underwater cleaning operation with sweeping and extinguishing

For a long time, anti-mine warfare has mainly relied on two types of equipment: minesweeping and mine hunting.

Minesweeping equipment uses mechanical methods or methods that simulate the physical field of ships to induce the exposure or explosion of mines. Among them, contact minesweeping equipment is a towed minesweeping tool that uses mechanical methods to clear anchor mines and floating mines, including cutting minesweeping equipment, blasting minesweeping equipment, cutting blasting minesweeping equipment and net minesweeping equipment. Cutting minesweeping equipment is equipped with a cutting knife on the sweeping cable, which is used to cut the mine chain and mine cable of the anchor mine, so that the anchor mine floats to the surface for easy disposal. Explosive minesweeping equipment is equipped with a blasting tube on the sweeping cable, which uses the explosive power of the blasting tube to blow off the mine cable, mine chain or directly blow up the mine body. Cutting blasting minesweeping equipment has the advantages of both of the above. The working principle of the net minesweeping equipment is similar to that of a fishing net, which catches floating mines and broken mines and drags them to a designated area for disposal. For the mine bodies that float to the surface, they are usually destroyed with small-caliber cannons or explosive packs.

The threat of mines to modern ships cannot be ignored (Image source: NetEase)

After the emergence of non-trigger fuze technology, non-contact minesweepers were born, which simulated the physical field characteristics of ships to match mine fuses and thus induce mines to explode. They include electromagnetic minesweepers, acoustic minesweepers, hydraulic minesweepers and combined minesweepers. Electromagnetic minesweepers generate a large-scale electromagnetic field to detonate magnetic mines. Acoustic minesweepers detonate acoustic mines by generating sounds. Hydraulic minesweepers can generate pressure changes similar to those of surface ships to detonate mines. Combined minesweepers refer to minesweepers that integrate two or more functions, and are generally combined magnetic and acoustic minesweepers.

Mine-clearing equipment destroys sea mines (Photo source: NetEase)

Mine hunting is to find mines by various detection means, mark their precise location and complete identification, and then use explosives to directly blow them up. Mine hunting equipment mainly consists of mine hunting sonar, navigation and positioning system, equipment display control device and mine disposal equipment. Mine hunting sonar and navigation and positioning system are used to detect, find and accurately locate mines. Equipment display control device refers to the television camera system, which is used to identify mines. Mine disposal equipment is usually released by mine hunting ships. Under the control of the mother ship or the guidance of the navigation system, it sails to the mine under its own power. After completing the identification through the equipment display control device, it places a bomb to destroy the mine.

Unmanned minesweeping platform with unique advantages

In recent years, with the advancement of science, the performance of various mines has been continuously improved. The danger of traditional surface ships triggering and detonating mines during mine hunting and sweeping operations still exists, and once it happens, the cost is often huge. Therefore, underwater unmanned combat platforms have gradually entered the anti-mine warfare mode. Underwater unmanned combat platforms can remotely enter the minefield, detect and identify suspicious targets at close range, accurately judge mine targets, and select mine-killing warheads according to actual conditions, so as to efficiently and safely eliminate all types of mine targets.

Unmanned platforms have unique advantages in anti-mine warfare (Image source: Baijiahao)

In minesweeping operations, manned ships do not need to enter the minefield, but command the unmanned surface vehicles (USV), unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on board to perform tasks at a safe distance. Among them, USV and UUV are responsible for detecting, identifying and clearing mine obstacles, and UAV can detect through dipping sonar. The three platforms can transmit data to each other and to the command post, where the commander will analyze and judge and issue execution instructions.

In the future, with the continuous breakthroughs in unmanned technology, anti-mine combat platforms will gradually transform from the minesweeping method of manual detection and identification and underwater unmanned combat platforms clearing mines to a new minesweeping method that is completely performed by underwater unmanned combat platforms for detection, identification, and mine clearance, thus becoming more efficient and safer.

About the author: Lan Shunzheng specializes in research and theoretical writing on space strategy, military strategy, and international relations. While serving in the army, he edited and published his first military theory book, "Random Thoughts on National Defense by an Army Sergeant - Soldiers Going Out of the Frontier". While studying for a master's degree at the School of International Relations, he focused on space strategy. Now he often publishes related articles on online media and military magazines. In addition, his second monograph, "Zhenxing Dinghai - Building China's Future Space Military Strategy", has also been published.

Produced by: Popular Science of Chinese Military Technology

Producer: Guangming Online Science Department

Author: Lan Shunzheng (military science writer)

Scientific review: Fei Boyu (senior military content editor)

Planning: Jin He