Sea mines have been important in naval warfare throughout history and continue to be so today. They are able to slow or stop naval actions and commercial shipping due to the severity of the damage they can inflict on seagoing vessels, and can force the alteration of strategic and tactical plans.

It is in response to this growing need for new mine-hunting systems with improved safety and efficiency that International Submarine Engineering (ISE) offers several proven products for the Mine Countermeasure (MCM) application.

The Dorado vehicle, which was in operational service with the Canadian Department of National Defence, was developed to meet this need. DCN International, of France, has also incorporated the Dorado vehicle as part of their SeaKeeper MCM system. The ISE engineering team designed the Dorado to be deeply submerged during operations, thereby greatly reducing the drag experienced compared to that of an autonomous vehicle operating on the surface. This advanced design permits the vehicle to operate at higher speeds, in higher sea states, and over longer ranges than comparable surface based systems of similar size.

The 315 kW marine diesel engine of the Dorado not only provides power to the contra-rotating propeller and the hydraulically operated control planes, but also to the keel-mounted winch for the ISE Aurora Sonar Towfish, which can be towed by the Dorado at speeds up to 12 knots and depths to 200 meters.. The ISE Towfish can be fitted with a variety of sonars for mine countermeasure application.

Additionally, ISE’s Explorer AUV can provide extremely accurate, long  range, and long endurance surveillance of sea lanes  for mines while the ISE Trailblazer MCM ROV provides a proven, rugged, low cost alternative for the destruction of mines.

ISE has a great deal of experience over the past 4 decades in delivery solutions for MCM and other naval requirements, including covert applications, and is able to meet the requirements of our customers for highly customized systems.