US EditionNavy Fits Ship with Minehunting Drones Ahead of Possible Hormuz Deployment
RFA Lyme Bay will deploy autonomous underwater and surface vehicles to detect and neutralize mines, reducing risks and enabling safer commercial transit in contested Gulf waters.
- The UK is retrofitting the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel RFA Lyme Bay in Gibraltar with autonomous minehunting systems, configuring the ship to store, deploy, and recover uncrewed underwater vehicles and crewless minehunting boats.
- Following President Donald Trump's call for allies to act, British ministers authorized the refit to address Tehran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping route.
- Designed as a "mothership," RFA Lyme Bay will coordinate multiple autonomous platforms, allowing the Royal Navy to maintain clearance operations while reducing risks to personnel through cutting-edge uncrewed systems.
- Defence sources stated no final decision to deploy the vessel has been made, though this preventative measure provides ministers with options should they be needed to resume normal merchant shipping flow.
- Thousands of American sailors and Marines arrived in the Middle East on Friday aboard the USS Tripoli as the Pentagon prepares for possible ground operations in Iran amid reports of potential invasion.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Evening Standard
Navy fits ship with minehunting drones ahead of possible Hormuz deployment
The plans will see RFA Lyme Bay fitted with high-tech kit.
UK's minehunting 'mothership' to help reopen Strait of Hormuz after Trump's call
The UK is looking at options should it be called upon to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz following US President Donald Trumps call for more ships as the Royal Navy converts a vessel into a minehunting 'mothership'
Royal Navy strengthens mine countermeasures posture for possible return to the Gulf - Navy Lookout
RFA Lyme Bay is to be equipped with autonomous and remotely-controlled mine hunting systems in Gibraltar. This will prepare the ship to support mine clearance operations in the Gulf region, if called upon. RFA Lyme Bay was reactivated at short notice in early March after a period of inactivity alongside in Gibraltar, following a maintenance […] The post Royal Navy strengthens mine countermeasures posture for possible return to the Gulf first app…
RFA Lyme Bay to become minehunting mothership
RFA Lyme Bay is set to be fitted with new uncrewed mine countermeasures systems, enabling the ship to operate as a mothership for autonomous minehunting equipment, the Royal Navy has said. The Bay-class vessel will receive the technology during a period in Gibraltar, where it will be configured to store, deploy and recover a range of uncrewed systems, including underwater vehicles and minehunting boats. The upgrade follows the ship being brought…
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