South Korea's Hanwha Systems Partners with DRATRI to Develop AI-Based Naval Mine Detection System

Hanwha Systems, a South Korean defense company, has entered into a Rapid Demonstration Acquisition Project (RDAP) agreement worth approximately $21 million with the Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute (DRATRI).

The collaboration aims to develop an AI-based automatic naval mine detection system, addressing the modern challenges posed by concealed mines in complex marine environments.

DRATRI, a specialized research institute established as part of South Korea’s 'Defense Innovation 4.0' initiative, focuses on the 'Rapid Acquisition' task, streamlining procedures for acquiring advanced defense technology through collaboration with private companies.

Following two years of research and development, coupled with six months of military demonstration operation, Hanwha Systems will deliver an 'automatic mine detection system for vessels' and an 'automatic mine detection system for land-based training' to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy. Leveraging the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, the system will rapidly and accurately detect and neutralize naval mines by establishing a big data infrastructure of naval mine and seabed environmental information, utilizing deep learning.

The ROK Navy, cognizant of the threat posed by concealed naval mines, operates specialized vessels such as the Ganggyeong-class Mine Hunter Crafts (MHC) and Yangyang-class Mine Sweeper Hunter (MSH). While these vessels play a crucial role in mine countermeasures, the new AI-based system will complement their efforts, enhancing the Navy's capabilities.

The AI-based automatic naval mine detection system is a crucial component of the Mine Sweeper Hunter II (MSH-II) project, designed to replace older vessels and address evolving challenges in mine countermeasures. The system utilizes Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) and towed array sonars from MCM vessels to continuously search for and collect data on underwater environments and naval mines.

Jang Hee-sun, Director of the Rapid Demonstration Acquisition Project at DRATRI, emphasized the project's role in introducing Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to the navy, including unmanned surface vehicles, marine drones, and unmanned underwater vehicles.

Park Do-hyun, Head of Command-and-Control project at Hanwha Systems, expressed confidence that the successful development of the system would contribute to enhancing the naval mine countermeasures force and combat readiness. Hanwha Systems plans to continue developing core technologies related to unmanned and autonomous marine systems, aiming to secure technological superiority and explore export markets.