Navy Faces Gap in Counter-Mine Systems.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin
• Position: Goverment Contracting Insights

The Navy is on the lookout for new, advanced counter-mine technology as a number of its legacy systems age, service officials have indicated.

Many mine countermeasure platforms--such as some airborne systems--were slated for retirement years ago, yet continue to be used in operations, said Neal Kusumoto, technical director of mine warfare at the Surface and Mine Warfare Development Center.

Maintaining them is challenging, but the work must go on until new technology--such as the littoral combat ship's mine countermeasure mission package, which has faced delays--comes online, he said during a panel discussion at the National Defense Industrial Association'; annual Expeditionary Warfare Conference in Annapolis, Maryland.

Developing such technology is critical as the Navy faces increased threats around the globe, said retired Vice Adm. John W. "Fozzie" Miller, former commander of Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces.

Today's contested environments include places like the South and East China Seas, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Baltic States and the Eastern Mediterranean, he said.

Maj. Gen. David Coffman, deputy commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force and commanding general of 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade, saic when it comes to new mine technology, "we need it cheap, we need it fast."

The threat of mines is growing globally, he noted. "It is an asymmetric advantage that our enemy is trying to leverage and directly affects our maneuverability and our assets," he said.

The Navy employs a number of different mine countermeasures. One includes the use of the MH-53E Sea Dragon, which can be operated from aircraft carriers and other Navy vessels. The platform can tow a variety of mine-hunting systems such as the Mk 105 magnetic minesweeping sled, the AQS-14A side-scan sonar and the Mk 103 mechanical minesweeping system, according to service documents.

The Navy has 27 Sea Dragons it uses for such missions, said Capt. Mark Leavitt, commander of helicopter sea combat wing Atlantic.

"I need no less than 24 aircraft to do what I'm doing right now which is provide the 5th Fleet demand for [the airborne mine countermeasure] capability, provide the 7th Fleet demand for AMCM, build readiness back home and then be prepared to deploy some additional assets should the call come," he said.

However, the aircraft are rapidly reaching the end of their service lives, he noted. Currently, the...