Fed: RAN using Aust-developed mine-sweeping system - ADF
CANBERRA, April 4 AAP - The Royal Navy had rushed an Australian-developed mine clearingsystem into service near the Iraqi port of Umm Qsar, the Australian Defence Force saidtoday.
ADF spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannan said Australian Navy clearance divers working inthe area noticed the RAN using the equipment, which was still in the scheduled testingphase.
The equipment is known as SWIMS - Shallow Water Influence Mine Sweeping Systems.
"It uses mini-magnetic dyads which are towed behind combat support boats to blow upmagnetic mines," Brigadier Hannan told reporters.
"A mini-dyad is in fact a floating tube which contains high-powered, strontium ferrite magnets.
"When you string them together and add in some noisemakers that could easily representthe noise from propellers and engines on board major vessels, then the mini-dyads areable to fool the mine into thinking that it's a ship passing by, and of course detonatethe mine."
He said the dyads had been acquired from Australian Defence Industries and formed theonly known influence mine sweeping system that is self-powered and able to operate inshallow water.
"The mini-dyads were acquired by the Royal Navy to undergo a 12-month testing periodbut they've been rushed into service to deal with the sophisticated Manta mines laid bythe Iraqi forces in the Khawr Abd `Allah waterway," Brigadier Hannan said.
AAP dep/sb/nw/de
KEYWORD: IRAQ AUST DYADS
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