BAE Systems, PORTSMOUTH, UK: Development of Talisman M, the BAE Systems unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), is surging ahead following its inaugural sea trials in August. This new Talisman variant, designed specifically for mine clearance operations, undertook its first sea trials at the Royal Navy’s Defence Diving School on Horsea Island, Portsmouth.
The Talisman trials were a key milestone in the UUV's development programme, enabling the project team to trial the integration of the various payloads, from the navigation and sonar equipment to the mine neutraliser – the BAE Systems Archerfish system.
“The trials took place just seven months after the Talisman M project started, demonstrating the rapid prototyping ethos in this fast-paced UUV programme,” said programme manager Andy Tong.
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The programme included several remote launches of the Archerfish – the system chosen by the U.S. Navy as its “common neutraliser”.
Development trials continue, with the aim of conducting a series of customer demonstrations in the US before the end of the year.
BAE Systems is the premier global defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With 96,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems' sales exceeded £15 billion (US $27 billion) in 2006 on a pro forma basis, assuming BAE Systems had owned Armor Holdings Inc, for the whole of 2006.
