Thales has been awarded a major contract by the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation for the design, development and delivery of the next generation of portable autonomous command centres for the Royal Navy’s Mine Counter Measures (MCM) capability, Thales announced on 29 December 2025.
Awarded under the Autonomous Remote Command Centre (RCC) contract, this initial GBP 10 million (EUR 11.55 million) investment marks the first stage of a programme that has scope to grow to up to GBP 100 million to deliver a next-generation MCM capability for the Royal Navy.
Under the contract Thales will lead the integration of multiple unmanned assets, both above and below the water, into becoming “a true system of systems for safer, more efficient and agile mine hunting missions”, Thales stated. Thales will provide the hardware, software, training and technical advice for the project, collaborating with a UK supply chain to enable iterative capability improvement and rapid technology adoption.
The Thales M-Cube mission management system will be at the heart of the command centres: a combat-proven software suite that is already used by multiple navies worldwide for planning, execution and evaluation of both conventional and autonomous MCM missions. “It provides unparalleled situational awareness from the task force to individual unit level,” Thales stated.
Thales’ Mi-Map planning and evaluation software, meanwhile, lies at the heart of the Royal Navy’s new remote command centre. Featuring advanced AI-powered automatic target recognition, this empowers operators by intelligently filtering and refining raw data, streamlining and expediting the minehunting process. Leveraging machine learning, Mi-Map continually enhances its database and processes vast quantities of information beyond human capability, accelerating target identification and delivering “superior accuracy and effectiveness compared to traditional systems”.
This sophisticated AI has been developed with the support of cortAIx: Thales’ AI accelerator, which features a global workforce of 800 experts in AI within the company serving the performance of sovereign advanced systems and sensors in critical environments.
Working with programme partners, Thales will initially deliver twin-containerised solutions that will seamlessly integrate platforms, systems and subsystems.
“This highly flexible capability will transform how MCM is conducted, allowing Royal Navy personnel to co-ordinate a fleet of uncrewed and autonomous assets, greatly increasing operational effectiveness while maximising personnel safety,” Thales stated. “Its utility for autonomous command and control has application across the seabed warfare domain and aligns with the UK government’s vision for a ‘Hybrid Navy’ and the Royal Navy’s Long Term Capability Plan for MCM mission systems integration.”
“Thales is honoured to continue its central role in delivering mine countermeasures capability to the Royal Navy, building on our proven heritage,” Paul Armstrong, managing director for underwater systems activities at Thales in the UK, was quoted as stating in a company press release. “This next-generation of autonomous command centres is part of a flexible suite of autonomous C2 from containerised solutions to vessel operations centres or large, shore operations centres. By collaborating across the supply chain, we are committed to supporting the UK with world-class technology and fostering growth and high-value skilled jobs across our UK operations.”
“The threat to the UK is growing, driven by global instability, Russian aggression, and a greater willingness of states and hostile actors to target our critical infrastructure,” added UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard. “By embracing autonomous maritime technology, the Royal Navy is pioneering innovation to help keep our sailors safe at sea. This is backed by a UK defence industry delivering world-class capabilities that exemplify how defence acts as an engine for growth.”
