First robot minesweeper system delivered to British navy
London, May 6: Britain's Royal Navy has taken delivery of its first unmanned autonomous minesweeping system, Defence Minister Guto Bebb said on Saturday.
Bebb said the system, capable of safely clearing sea lanes of mines, could go on to be used in the future to defeat the threat of modern digital mines following a period of successful trials.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the system has been designed and manufactured by Atlas Elektronik in Dorset, England, under a $20.3 million contract.
"This autonomous minesweeper takes us a step closer to taking our crews out of danger and allowing us to safely clear sea lanes of explosives, whether that's supporting trade in global waters and around the British coastline, or protecting our ships and shores," Xinhua quoted Bebb as saying.
Easily transported by road, sea and air, the high-tech design means a small team could put the system to use within hours of it arriving in any theatre of activity, added Bebb.
The sweeper system, which features a sense and avoid capability, could also work together with other similar autonomous systems for the common goal of making our waters safer, said the MOD.
The project, designed to be operated from a land or ship-based control station and can be deployed from a suitable ship or port, also aims to demonstrate the viability of an unmanned system that can safely and successfully clear mines.
Brigadier Jim Morris from the Royal Marines who is senior responsible officer for the Mine Countermeasures and Hydrographic Capability (MHC) programme said: "The minesweeping system is the Royal Navy's first fully autonomous capability demonstrator and paves the way for the introduction of this technology across the full range of maritime capabilities."
"This autonomous system will restore the Royal Navy's sweep capability, enabling it to tackle modern digital mines that may not otherwise be discovered in challenging mine hunting conditions."
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MP: Decomposed body of woman found in fridge in Dewas house, former tenant being questioned
Dewas, Jan 11: The decomposed body of a woman was found inside a refrigerator in a house in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas city on Friday, following which a former tenant was taken into custody for questioning, police officials said.
The saree-clad woman, who was wearing jewellery and whose hands were tied along with a noose around her neck, may have been killed last year, an official said.
The house is located in Vrindavan Dham Colony under Bank Note Press police station limits, the official added.
"The woman is in her 30s. We suspect she was killed in June 2024. After a foul smell started emanating, neighbours called the landlord who opened a portion of the house. The woman's body was found in the refrigerator, the shelves of which had been removed. He then alerted police," Dewas Superintendent of Police Puneet Gehlot told reporters.
The house is owned by one Dhirendra Shrivastava, who lives in Indore, the SP said.
"Shrivastava had rented his house to one Sanjay Patidar of Ujjain in June 2023. A year later, Patidar vacated the house but continued to keep his belongings in a study room and the master bedroom. He told Shrivastava he would vacate this portion later," Gehlot said.
"Patidar used to visit the house once in a while. Recently, the current tenant asked the landlord to unlock this portion of the house. The landlord showed this portion of the house to the tenant but then locked it again, since Patidar's belongings were inside, and switched off power supply on Wednesday," said Bank Note Press police station inspector Amit Solanki.
The incident came to light since the refrigerator stopped working after electricity was switched off and a foul smell started emanating from that portion of the house, Solanki added.
"Patidar has been taken into custody and is being questioned," the inspector informed.
