Deep Trekker have produced a short video on how their ROVs take an underwater EOD task from the first sonar contact through to a confirmed result. Viper is one of the disruptor options covered. The video is below, and the main points are summarised here.
Locate
Mine searches are normally run from USVs and AUVs fitted with side scan sonar, which build a picture of the seabed and produce a list of possible contacts. Deep Trekker ROVs can carry side scan sonar as well. Either way, the ROV is the tool that goes out to check whether a contact is a mine or a rock.
Identify and verify
Using imaging sonar and side scan, the ROV reacquires the contact and closes in. Inside the last five metres, a turbidity filter cleans up the camera image enough to confirm what the object is and which tool will be needed to deal with it.
Mark the position
Once the target is confirmed, the operator marks its position using either the ROV’s GPS or USBL positioning. That gives a coordinate to return to after the vehicle has been recovered and fitted with the right tool.
Neutralise
The tool depends on the target. The video covers three disruption options that can be run from Deep Trekker vehicles, and Viper is one of them. As the video describes it, Viper is a nail gun attachment that fixes a small shaped charge to the mine. The ROV then backs away to a safe distance and the charge is initiated by firing wire or shock tube.
With the tool loaded, the ROV uses the imaging sonar and the marked position to return to the target and carry out the task.
Verify
The final step is confirming that the device was actually disrupted. The same tools are used again: imaging sonar to find and approach the target, and the stored coordinate to get back to it quickly.
Why the sequence matters
The disruptor is one step in a longer process. Most of the time on task is spent finding the target, confirming it and getting back to it, so the tooling has to fit the vehicle and the procedure around it rather than sit on top as a separate piece of equipment. That is the basis of our work with Deep Trekker.