Getting a charge onto a subsea threat has always been the hard part. It has to go exactly where it is meant to go, it has to stay there, and the people placing it need to be well clear when it is initiated. Viper MDS was designed around that problem.
What Viper MDS is
Viper MDS is a mine and IED disposal system that mounts on a commercial ROV. It is modular, non-magnetic and buoyancy-compensated to neutral, so it does not upset the trim of the vehicle carrying it. It works from the surface down to 300m.
It measures 550 x 250 x 400mm, weighs around 8kg in air, and is built from rigid plastic and aluminium. It fits any commercial ROV without a bespoke interface, so operators can add it to the vehicle they already use.
How it places the charge
Viper uses a drive-to-target contact method. The pilot drives the ROV onto the target and presses Viper against it. Our patented Nail Attachment Unit then fires a nail to fix the charge in place. The ROV withdraws to a safe stand-off distance and the charge is initiated remotely.
The charge ends up where the pilot put it and stays there. No diver has to go near the target to place it.
Matching the payload to the job
Viper takes any disruptor from our BX range, so the charge is chosen for the target in front of the team. That means low order or high order neutralisation, depending on what the job needs.
Initiation is manual, coded RF or acoustic, with NONEL or electric detonation. Viper supports multiple target prosecution and works with automatic release and shock-tube recovery.
Viper on the Deep Trekker REVOLUTION
We have been working with Deep Trekker on running Viper from their REVOLUTION ROV. On the REVOLUTION, two Vipers are mounted on actuator-controlled side brackets, each with its own auxiliary targeting camera, so the pilot can line up the charge before committing to it.
Deep Trekker have published footage of the system installed and deployed, showing the full sequence from approach to attachment and withdrawal.
This is what Viper was designed to do. The operator keeps a vehicle they already know, and adds a disposal capability to it.
Where it is used
Viper is used in EOD and mine countermeasures work, against mines, underwater IEDs and other seabed explosive hazards.
Find out more
Full details are on the Viper MDS product page. Data sheets are available on request. If you run or build an ROV and want to talk about fitting Viper, get in touch.