Navy completes mine countermeasures test on ESB

The Navy said yesterday it has completed testing a mine countermeasures mission package onboard the expeditionary sea base Hershel "Woody" Williams (T-ESB-4).

"During the underway, the ship conducted a demonstration using the mission package portable control station to maneuver the MCM equipment, launch and recovery equipment, as well as test the command and control of unmanned vehicles," according to the statement.

The Littoral Combat Ship MCM mission package is comprised of a dozen systems working together to identify and destroy buried and bottom mines. In various stages of testing and development, the mission package will replace the Navy's Avenger-class ships and MH-53E helicopters, which are scheduled to retire in the coming years.

The service will primarily use the mission package aboard LCS, but has reserved some units for select "vessels of opportunity." A February report sent to Congress listed several ship types the service considers candidates but did not express a preference. The report did use the ESB to project the baseline costs -- $50 million -- of integrating the mission package aboard non-LCS vessels.

A Navy spokesman today was not immediately able to comment on the service's preferences concerning the other vessels.

The February report said the program executive office for unmanned and small combatants is creating a test plan to further consider other vessels such as amphibious ships, commercial vessels and expeditionary fast transports. That test plan is scheduled to be finished in fiscal year 2021.