Navy tests 'minehunter' controlled device

The Royal Navy, based in Portsmouth, are testing a special boat that can hunt and destroy mines.

The high-tech motorboat is undergoing a trial period by a team of sailors at Portsmouth Naval Base.

The boats can search and destruct mines faster than the Navy's Hunt-class ships and only need a handful of sailors to operate them out of harm's way.

The new unmanned systems are being tested by the Maritime Autonomous System Trials Team (MASTT) at Royal Navy unit testing.

Chief Petty Officer Colin Dumbleton, who has spent more than20 years in the mine warfare branch, said: “It’s great that the Navy is taking a step in the right direction, looking at the technology out there, and seeing where we can use it in the future.”

After several hours in the water scanning the ocean floor,the submersibles return to their mother ships and the data is then collected, downloaded and analysed by the Royal Navy’s mine warfare experts.