By Program Executive Office Littoral and Mine Warfare
The Navy took delivery of the third low-rate production model Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV) on Dec. 21. Formerly known as the Remote Minehunting Vehicle (RMV), the RMMV was originally designed to detect and classify sea mines. The name was changed because RMMV missions are being expanded to include anti-submarine warfare applications and maritime reconnaissance.
The RMMV is a robust unmanned, semi-submersible, semi-autonomous vehicle that can be adapted to a broad spectrum of applications and missions, including towing variable-depth sensors to detect, localize, classify and identify undersea threats at a safe distance from friendly ships. The RMMV provides all-weather, low-observable operations, high endurance, interchangeable mission system electronics, and real-time data transfer capability beyond line of sight.
“The Navy now has a steadily growing capability to detect and classify mines at safe distances because of the RMS program,” said Gary Humes, Mine Warfare Program Manager, U.S. Navy Program Executive Office Littoral and Mine Warfare. “This increasing capability keeps the Sailor out of the minefield and helps protect the fleet against the devastation caused by sea mines.”
The RMMV is the integral mobile subsystem of the Navy’s AN/WLD-1 Remote Minehunting System (RMS), which includes the RMMV, a launch and retrieval system for the RMMV, the RMMV-towed sonar sensor, advanced communications equipment and software that integrates RMS into the host ship’s combat system. Launched and controlled remotely from forward-deployed ships, the RMMV gives carrier and expeditionary strike groups real-time, over-the-horizon mine reconnaissance capability, keeping the Sailor out of harms way.
A RMS system is currently deployed with the USS Bainbridge (DDG 96). The USS Bainbridge successfully conducted mine reconnaissance operations off the coast of Spain utilizing the RMMV last month. This training was conducted as part of a NATO Naval Task Force exercise.
In 2005, Naval Sea Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin a low-rate initial production contract for three RMMVs; a contract for four more RMMVs was awarded in 2006.