Sea Drones to Help Clear Mines from Strait of Hormuz

Topic: Unrest and War

Friday, 7 August 2026, at 11:10 am

Unmanned boats are used to enter waters with mines so humans are not in danger.

Sea mines are a big threat in naval warfare.

Finding and clearing these mines can be slow and dangerous.

Iran has used the threat of naval mines to control the Strait of Hormuz.

When the waterway reopens, clearing mines will be the first task.

The US military may use underwater drones, robots, and lasers to reduce risks.

But even with new technology, the Strait of Hormuz is a challenging place to clear mines.

How big is the risk?

It's not clear how many mines Iran has laid in the strait.

Iran claims to have put mines in a shipping passage in the Strait of Hormuz.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran had mined parts of the strait.

A defence consultant said mine warfare is effective because mines are cheap to deploy but expensive to clear.

It doesn't matter how many mines are actually there.

The threat of a minefield can stop ships, especially commercial ones.

US intelligence estimated Iran had over 5,000 sea mines before the conflict.

The mines included old contact mines and more advanced ones that detonate in response to sound or magnetic fields.

In April, US officials suspected Iran had dropped about a dozen Iranian-made sea mines in the strait.

The Maham 3 mine is a deep-water threat that sits on the sea floor.

The mine detonates using sensors and can carry up to 120 kilograms of explosives.

The Maham 7 is a high-explosive mine designed to sit on the seabed in shallow water.

It uses sound and magnetic sensors to identify passing vessels.

A former military officer said both mines would be difficult to detect.

The Maham 3 would be hard to spot in deep water.

The Maham 7 would be covered in sediment, making it hard to distinguish from the sea floor.

How are mines hunted?

Traditionally, the US Navy used crewed minesweeping ships.

The teams used sonar to locate mines and mechanical gear to clear them.

But times have changed, and the US Navy is transitioning to new capabilities.

The US Navy has retired its old minesweeper ships and replaced them with littoral combat ships.

Littoral combat ships carry advanced mine-clearing equipment.

The ships are supported by helicopters and carry semi-autonomous vessels, underwater drones, and remote-controlled robots.

These systems can collect data and bring it back to crews, but there can be challenges operating them.

Types of equipment

Professor Williams said operations would depend heavily on technology like side-scan sonar and synthetic aperture sonar.

Sonar uses underwater sound waves to detect and identify submerged objects.

Once a mine-like object is detected, the data is transferred to crews who identify the device and determine how to neutralize it.

A towfish is a system often deployed to collect underwater data.

The Towfish is equipped with sensors, including side-scan sonar, which transmits sound pulses downward and sideways.

Underwater towed mine-hunting systems use side-scan sonar to map the sea floor and transmit data back to crews.

Towfish have been around for decades and were traditionally dragged under water by a boat.

Now, there are more advanced underwater towed mine-hunting systems attached to uncrewed surface vessels.

These systems can capture data across hundreds of meters of sea floor and transmit it to crews in real-time.

The US Navy operates several types of undersea drones for sea mine detection.

Defence analysts have cited the Knifefish and Kingfish as options for the US to improve mine-hunting capabilities.

The Knifefish uses a sonar system to detect, identify, and classify floating or buried mines.

The Knifefish is optimal for high-clutter environments and can operate at various depths.

Remotely operated underwater vehicles are sent out to destroy mines.

The robot places a demolition charge directly on or next to the mine and then retreats to a safe distance.

Helicopters are also used to spot mines near the surface with the help of laser systems.

The Airborne Laser Mine Detection System is operated from a cylinder attached to the side of a helicopter.

The system generates 3D images of the near-surface volume to detect and classify near-surface moored sea mines.

Helicopters can deploy systems to destroy mines, such as the Archerfish.

The Archerfish carries an explosive charge and transmits video back to operators via a cable.

No quick solution

Even with specialized tools, environmental conditions will slow the search, mine classification, and neutralization process.

The prospect of mines in the Strait of Hormuz has highlighted a gap in US naval capabilities.

The current situation is complicated by uncertain minefield boundaries and security concerns.

Some analysts have raised doubts about America's mine-clearing capabilities.

Retired US Navy Captain Kevin Eyer said there are limited resources available.

US leaders have been forced to confront the reality that the navy's mine countermeasures capacity is severely limited.

Britain, France, and Germany have dispatched warships and minesweepers to the Middle East.

By moving the war into the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran has hit its adversaries where it hurts the most.

Professor Williams said the US would not be able to address the problem without extra support.

The US was poorly prepared given available intelligence on Iran's mine stockpile.

It could take several months and cost hundreds of millions of dollars to conduct a comprehensive clearance mission.

Mr. Perry said it's a months-long process that could start over if fighting resumes.

The technology is getting better, but the process of identifying and neutralizing mines takes a lot of effort.

ABC/Reuters

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