Avon Protection introduces MCM100 Diver Tracking System

Image Avon Protection

The MCM100’s new Diver Tracking System has been developed in collaboration with one of Avon Protection’s Tactical Partners, Blueprint Subsea. The advanced geo-locating system gives surface teams the ability to three-dimensionally track the dive team during training operations and also provides live rebreather status information combined with a diver recall/safety alert managed by the surface support team. All critical information is clearly displayed on a surface PC tablet overlayed with a mapping system giving accurate location data.

Previously, military divers were unable to remain connected to the network while underwater, limiting team situational awareness and the ability for commanders to communicate with underwater teams. By enabling the dive team to remain connected to diver delivery and surface vessels, the MCM100’s Diver Tracking System represents a significant step-change in effective underwater operations allowing a greatly improved training effect for divers.

This new capability also lays the groundwork to improve connectivity for dive teams during live operations, enabling faster integration of future C2 technologies as they become available.  

The Diver Tracker System is currently being fitted to MCM100 rebreathers purchased by several nations. The system will now be available as an integrated option for the MCM100 and as a retrofit to already deployed systems.  

Kevin Gurr, Director – Underwater Systems, Avon Protection, said: “This upgrade adds another key feature to the future-proofed Avon Protection MCM100 product as we push forwards innovation through our continuous improvement programme. We look forward to rolling out this enhanced capability to our user community and enabling them to undertake training operations as part of an integrated underwater team for the first time.”

Avon Protection’s MCM100 Multi-Role Rebreather is designed for military dive missions across the spectrum of underwater operations, including shallow or deep Mine Counter Measure (MCM), Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), Mine Investigation and Exploitation (MIE) and Special Operations Forces (SOF) and including underwater vehicle use. The configurable platform features an advanced electronics architecture designed to take critical safety monitoring and decision-making cognitive burdens off the diver, allowing them to concentrate on the mission at hand.

The closed-circuit system manages oxygen levels using digital sensors and a native decompression algorithm; and features an extremely low work of breathing (WOB) design that reduces the physical burden on divers. It also has a low magnetic and acoustic signature enabling stealth and MCM operations.
 
The MCM100 with Diver Tracker System is on display at UDT 2025.