European Commission Selects Naval Group Belgium-Led Consortium for Extended Mine Countermeasures Project

The European Commission has chosen the consortium led by Naval Group Belgium to spearhead the European Extended Mine Countermeasures (E=MCM) project.

Under the umbrella of the European Defense Fund (EDF), Naval Group Belgium, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Naval Group, will oversee the E=MCM project for a three-year term. Building upon the successful conclusion of the MIRICLE project at the end of 2023, the consortium comprises 21 partners from across Europe, united in their mission to fortify the continent's capacity to counter maritime mine threats effectively.

The E=MCM project, which garnered approval following a 2023 call by the European Commission, is scheduled to commence in the final quarter of 2024. Its primary objective is to advance the development of "made in Europe" countermeasure solutions, thereby reinforcing the European naval community's resilience against mine threats in diverse maritime zones.

Drawing from the learnings of the MIRICLE project, which focused on establishing next-generation Mine Countermeasure (MCM) platforms and toolbox technologies, the E=MCM initiative seeks to bridge developmental gaps and deliver superior, expedited, and safer MCM operations. It aims to conceptualize, prototype, and demonstrate a single system-of-systems architecture featuring scalable unmanned autonomous toolboxes and intelligent platforms, alongside decision-support tools tailored for MCM operations.

The consortium, consisting of 21 beneficiaries hailing from 11 European nations, embodies a collaborative spirit aimed at realizing innovative MCM capabilities. Partners include Naval Group Belgium and Naval Group SA from France, Exail Robotics from France and Belgium, Thales DMS, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) from the Netherlands, and various other entities from Belgium, Romania, Portugal, Latvia, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Lithuania, and Germany.