“Vlissingen Set Sail: The Exciting Inaugural Sea Trials of rMCM”

The Vlissingen, the second in the series of mine countermeasure vessels from the Belgian-Dutch rMCM initiative, initially designed for the Royal Netherlands Navy, commenced its inaugural sea trials from Concarneau, France, on March 27, 2025. The objective is to evaluate and validate the vessel’s functionality at sea prior to its delivery at the close of 2025. The rMCM initiative is spearheaded by Belgium Naval & Robotics, a partnership comprising Naval Group and Exail, with Kership (a collaboration between Piriou and Naval Group) serving as the main industrial contractor.

On this initial day at sea, the vessel’s capabilities were assessed, particularly her propulsion system and maneuverability. Additional sea trial campaigns will follow to evaluate all systems before her handover at the end of 2025.

Eight vessels currently under production

The first ship, Oostende, allocated for the Belgian Navy, is presently undergoing testing of her combat systems at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient. Delivery is expected in the summer of 2025. The first sea trials for Tournai, the third vessel of the program and the second unit designated for the Belgian Navy, are scheduled for late summer 2025. The fourth vessel, Scheveningen, the second ship assigned to the Royal Netherlands Navy, was launched in November 2024. All twelve vessels contracted under the rMCM program are slated for delivery before the conclusion of 2030.

A distinctive industrial and European collaboration

The rMCM program, awarded in 2019 to Belgium Naval & Robotics, the consortium of Naval Group and Exail, represents a critical element of European defense cooperation. Naval Group is accountable for ship design, comprehensive mission system integration, testing, and commissioning. The vessels are constructed and assembled by Kership and Chantier Piriou, under the overall industrial supervision of Kership, a joint venture between Naval Group and Piriou. Exail oversees the drones’ mission systems, with most drones being manufactured and serviced at Exail’s Belgian subsidiary located in Ostend.

A robust vessel with a state-of-the-art toolkit from BELGIUM NAVAL & ROBOTICS

These specialized and cyber-secured mine countermeasure (MCM) vessels are the first to possess the capability to launch and deploy a mix of surface drones (each a 12-meter, 19-ton vessel), underwater drones, and aerial drones. The mine countermeasure vessels will primarily utilize an autonomous system for the detection, classification, identification, and neutralization of mines. This strategy, featuring an integrated unmanned system, allows for the safe and swift clearance of mined zones—up to ten times faster than conventional techniques.

The MCM vessels are designed to endure underwater detonations and possess minimal acoustic, electrical, and magnetic signatures, aligning with the missions to be undertaken.

These mine countermeasure vessels possess the following specifications:

• Length: 82.6m
• Width: 17m
• Displacement: 2800t
• Maximum velocity: 15.3 knots
• Range: >3500 nautical miles
• Crew: 63 personnel (core crew of 33 personnel)
• Drone capabilities: Exail UMISOFT Software suite, 2 unmanned surface vehicles (Exail Inspector 125), 3 autonomous underwater vehicles (A-18 equipped with Exail UMISAS 120 sonar), 2 towed sonars (T-18 equipped with Exail UMISAS 240 sonar), 2 Mine Identification & Disposal Systems (MIDS) (Exail Seascan and K-Ster C), 2 unmanned aerial vehicles (UMS Skeldar’s V200), and 1 Exail influence mine sweeping system integrating 5 CTM magnetic modules and 1 PATRIA acoustic module.
• Embarkation capacity: 2 SOLAS rigid hull inflatable boats of 7m.
• Handling: 2 side launch & recovery systems for surface drones or commando vessels, a 15t specialized rear crane, and a 3t overhead crane.