For the second year running, Fincantieri, along with its subsidiaries Fincantieri NexTech and IDS , is taking part in REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping augmented by Maritime Unmanned Systems), the annual military exercise currently underway in Portugal. The event is organized and hosted by the Portuguese Navy, NATO, and the European Defence Agency (EDA), with the participation of foreign military forces, universities, and cutting-edge tech companies.

In partnership with the Italian Navy’s CSSN (Centro di Supporto e Sperimentazione Navale), as well as the partners Graal Tech and WSense, Fincantieri is testing advanced unmanned autonomous technologies in a realistic environment. This includes the Multi-Mission MUS Toolkit, which is based on the Surface Advanced Naval Drone (SAND), and the innovative Unmanned Management System (UMS).

Fincantieri’s presence at REPMUS highlights the Group’s commitment to strengthening its strategy in the underwater domain, a key area where major geopolitical challenges are emerging, and where technological innovation will play a crucial role in shaping the future.

The 2024 edition features an upgraded version of IDS’s UMS (Unmanned Management System), now enhanced with new technical and operational solutions. These upgrades further support the autonomous tasks assigned to unmanned vehicles and ensure interoperability with other systems and stakeholders through new protocols like NATO’s emerging STANAG 4817 and established ones such as APP-11 for Naval Mine Warfare.

This creates an innovative, invisible intermodal digital link that seamlessly connects the sensors of underwater vehicles, the SAND Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), and the UMS. Operators can now access, manage, and exchange data more effectively. This flow of information enables near real time monitoring of the position and status of underwater vehicles, the ability to adjust their behavior, capture images from underwater acoustic and optical sensors, and generate mission reports for cooperating operational units.

The Multi-Mission MUS Toolkit is designed to be integrated into both next-generation vessels and those already in service, enhancing the efficiency of military operations. The UMS platform and autonomous operations, supervised through remote control stations, are developed by Fincantieri NexTech’s “Unmanned Management Systems & Underwater” business line, leveraging IDS’s expertise in remote-controlled systems.

Launched in early 2019 as part of a joint project between IDS, Effebi, and Meccano Engineering, the SAND surface drone is a multi-role, reconfigurable unmanned vehicle capable of performing a variety of missions such as search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and maritime security. SAND is specifically designed to safely and effectively replace personnel in dangerous or repetitive operational scenarios with autonomous and unmanned vessels.

Recently, SAND was equipped with an advanced Launch and Recovery System (LARS), which enhances the deployment of autonomous underwater vehicles, significantly boosting capabilities in mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, and the protection of critical seabed infrastructure.

Thanks to the UMS, SAND also functions as a communication gateway, enabling the coordinated management of multiple unmanned systems (aerial, surface, and underwater) from virtual shore-based “ships” or real vessels such as the Italian Navy’s Multi-Mission European Frigates (FREMM) or Multi Purpose Combat Ships (PPA).