DCNS tests new maritime anti-terrorism and anti-piracy combat system

French shipyard group DCNS has successfully completed full-scale real-time testing of its new maritime anti-terrorism and anti-piracy combat system in the Toulon harbour, France.

Executed with support from the French Navy, the trials involved demonstrating the system’s potential to allow the rapid deployment of an effective defence in littoral waters, which is the hub of anti-piracy missions.

Comprising a network of ultra-high-definition 360° cameras, the system assures surveillance over a distance of several kilometres in the region of the vessel.

Further, the information accumulated by cameras is superimposed on top of augmented reality images to analyse different moving objects in proximity, including pleasure boats, fishermen or pirates.

A powerful zoom lens can be used to confirm whether the threat is real or not, and launch a response, which ranges from issuing a sound or light warning signal to a warning shot or final protective fire.

Compatible with a range of vessels, the tool displays a 360° real-time visualisation of the situation on a screen on the ship’s bridge, which is visible to the vessel commander and all close-quarter defence operators, allowing instantaneous sharing of same data among users.

The system, which has been developed after several years of research and development, is capable of operating autonomously or being integrated within a combat management system to take advantage of other information provided by the vessel’s other sensors, mainly those integrated on board airborne drones.