Iran Claims Mining Strait of Hormuz; France Develops Unmanned Minesweepers for Detection and Clearance

France Televisions reported that this system was delivered by France to the Belgian Navy. Commander Tanguy Botman said that this minesweeper concept is advanced and has attracted attention from many countries. The vessel is equipped with an automated unmanned system for mine clearance, also built by a French company.

Botman stated: 'Old vessels could only handle one mine at a time, while the new vessel can use several drones simultaneously, thus performing multiple tasks at once.'

Footage shows small boats heading to the target mine clearance area, carrying two torpedo-shaped underwater drones that can detect and identify mines. Then, another drone equipped with explosives goes to destroy the target.

Previously, minesweepers and their crews had to enter dangerous zones, but with drones, large vessels can stay anchored at a distance to monitor operations. Botman emphasized: 'Personnel no longer need to enter the minefield; everything is done by unmanned systems, reducing human risk to zero.'

Exail, the French company that designed this unmanned system, has a manufacturing base in Belgium. Various components of these drones employ advanced technology, equipped with multiple sonars to map the seabed, capable of real-time information transmission, and are very quiet.

Ward De Grieve, an Exail trainer, stated that the characteristic of these systems is their reusability, designed to detect targets without being discovered.

Exail's factory manufactures hundreds of drones annually, and its production capacity had doubled each year even before the outbreak of the Middle East war, due to Russia's maritime threats. De Grieve said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) recently signed a contract to order hundreds of drones for use by navies of different countries.

The report pointed out that the price of a maritime drone ranges from 100,000 Euros (approximately NT$3.72 million) to several million Euros, but a large minesweeper could be 10 times more expensive. Thomas Buret, CEO of Exail, stated, 'This is cheaper for taxpayers,' calling it a breakthrough that unmanned systems can perform tasks that would otherwise require frigates or minesweepers.

It is currently uncertain whether Iran has actually laid mines in the Strait of Hormuz. (Edited by Chen Cheng-kung) 1150410