[Edaily Reporter kim kwanyong ] The Navy announced that on the 3rd, in collaboration with Hanwha Systems, it conducted an “AI-Based Unmanned Mine Warfare Combat Experiment” at the Busan Naval Base to verify the feasibility of maritime operations utilizing cutting-edge civilian AI technology and to explore future directions for mine warfare.

Mines, often referred to as “sea mines,” are underwater weapons laid to blockade ports or cut off maritime traffic routes. Depending on their detonation mechanisms, they include contact mines, responsive mines that detonate upon detecting a ship’s magnetic field or acoustic signals, and composite mines that combine two or more types. They also come in various forms, such as moored mines and seabed mines, depending on their deployment location.

If intelligence indicates that mines have been discovered or laid, restrictions on port use and navigation are imposed, which significantly impacts war-sustaining capabilities and the economy. Removing underwater mines requires a significant investment of time and resources amid the risk of explosion.

This combat experiment deployed the minesweeper Ongjin (MSH, 730-metric-ton class), which performs mine detection, identification, and clearance missions, along with surveillance and reconnaissance drones, two unmanned surface vessels (USVs) from Hanwha Systems, and one autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV).

The exercise proceeded in the following sequence: mission planning using the “Large Language Model (LLM)-based AI Support System for Anti-Mine Warfare”; mine detection through integrated operations involving the Ongjin, USVs, and AUV; a demonstration of target analysis by the AI-based Automatic Mine Detection System (AMDS); and mine clearance via the Ongjin’s autonomous control of the USVs.

Specifically, the LLM-based AI-supported anti-mine warfare mission system utilizes an AI-based large language model to automatically formulate mission plans for unmanned assets using operational data upon mine detection, generate tactical orders, and provide recommendations to the commander. The Automatic Mine Detection System (AMDS) builds a big data repository of information on various types of mines and the seabed environment; through deep learning, it enables faster and more accurate mine detection, identification, and analysis to support mine countermeasures operations.

The combat experiment began with the announcement of a simulated scenario in which Busan Port had been blockaded by enemy mines. The “LLM-Based AI Support System for Anti-Mine Warfare” analyzed weather and ocean currents to formulate mine search and clearance mission plans utilizing the minesweeper and unmanned mine countermeasure vessels (simulated by unmanned surface vessels), then reported these plans to the human commander aboard the Ongjin. Upon the commander’s approval, the mission plans were transmitted to both manned and unmanned mine countermeasure assets.

The minesweeper Ongjin and the unmanned minesweeper divided their tasks by sector to search for (simulated) mines, while a surveillance and reconnaissance drone took off to assess the operational environment within the harbor. In particular, the unmanned minesweeper located mines using its onboard autonomous underwater mine detection vehicle. The automatic mine detection system installed on the Ongjin analyzed the target data acquired by the AUV and reported to the commander that the mines had been laid by the enemy.

Subsequently, the ROKS Ongjin moved to a safe zone in preparation for a mine explosion and, acting as the command and control ship, directed the unmanned minesweeper formation. The combat experiment concluded with the unmanned minesweepers performing a simulated procedure to clear the mines using their mine-clearing equipment.

Lieutenant Colonel Lee Gwang-hoon, Chief of the Unmanned Systems Operations Innovation Division at the Naval Operations Command, who prepared the combat experiment, “Through this combat experiment, we confirmed that the concept of mine warfare—in which AI supports mission planning and target analysis, and mine countermeasure vessels operate in conjunction with unmanned systems—will be fully effective in future maritime operations,” he said. “We will further develop the ‘Navy Sea GHOST’ integrated manned-unmanned combat system, which the Navy is currently promoting, by incorporating the lessons learned from this combat experiment.”

“Navy Sea GHOST” uses the English word “Ghost” to symbolically represent unmanned naval capabilities, while also serving as an acronym for “Guardian Harmonized with Operating Manned Systems and Technology-Based Unmanned Systems,” signifying a “guardian of the seas where manned systems and technology-based unmanned systems operate in harmony.”

Rear Admiral Kwak Gwang-seop, Commander of Naval Operations, emphasized, “AI technology and unmanned systems will become core capabilities on future maritime battlefields, and we must lead the future battlefield through the rapid military application of cutting-edge technology.” He added, “We will expand collaboration among the private sector, government, and military to rapidly introduce AI technology at the Busan AX hub and enhance our maritime operational capabilities through various combat trials.”