Britain and France move forward on mineclearing drone

Britain and France have launched the next phase of their unmanned minesweeping system.

Under an agreement signed by the two nations, first-stage designs for the Maritime Mine Counter Measures (MMCM) program will be translated into working prototypes by 2019, according to a British government news release.

"Working with our French allies, the MMCM program will develop cutting edge maritime mine warfare capability; a capability which will keep the UK and France at the forefront of autonomous systems technology," the British government said. "The development and deployment of unmanned mine clearance vehicle will help keep our personnel safe in challenging maritime environments."

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