The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has played a critical role in an innovative exercise designed to test the UK's Mine Hunting Capability (MHC). Working with Naval Design Partnering (NDP) and other Defence partners, Dstl helped to design and implement realistic mine countermeasure scenarios.
Analysts from Dstl provided specialist guidance during the two-day table-top exercise, offering real-time advice and generating evidence-based insights into mine hunting capability performance. A key finding from the exercise identified a necessary design change for the adoption and optimisation of an offshore support vessel (OSV) design from Norway.
The exercise also utilised a large-scale 3D printed model, created by NDP, to explore deck operations for future mine-hunting mother ship designs. This allowed stakeholders to visualise and assess integration challenges before committing to potentially costly design decisions. Dstl's support aims to de-risk a significant investment by guiding procurement decisions with evidence and expert analysis.