EDR Magazine: ECA Group demonstrated A9-M AUV during "Training Days" organized by Défense Conseil In
ECA Group was invited to demonstrated the capabilities of its A9-M AUV dedicated to military applicated within the framework of the "Training Days" organized by the Défense Conseil International’s (DCI) on May 23rd - to 24th,2017.
Published on EDR Magazine, May 2017.
By Luca Peruzzi
The DCI’s CIF-PM: A Training Centre of Excellence for underwater and special operations
During a two-days (‘Training Days’) presentation event held on 23-24 May at Saint-Mandrier near Toulon in South-eastern France, the Défense Conseil International’s (DCI) NAVFCO naval arm demonstrated the latest capabilities of its Military Diver Training (CIF-PM) Centre of Excellence' skills to current and potential foreign operators.
Located on the Saint-Mandrier peninsula, right next to the French Navy diving academy and near to Toulon and its naval base, the CIF-PM training centre covers DCI’s maritime security department activities: military diving, special forces, mine warfare and maritime security.
Its mission is to transfer the know-how of the French Navy to the Foreign Naval Forces. At the occasion of two-days ‘Training Days’ held in DCI NAVFCO’s Centre International de Formation à la Plongée Militaire (CIF-PM), a presentation provided both current and potential invited foreign operators with an overview of its operational expertise and extended training course portfolio in each of its department activities.
DCI-NAVFCO’s maritime security department, delivers specialised operational training in military diving, Special Forces, maritime safety and mine warfare, combining theory and practice and covers a broad spectrum of competencies and levels. It complies with the regulations of the Ministry of Defence (French Navy) and the Ministry of Employment and its activities are relying on the agreements with the French armed forces.
The DCI also has recently extended its offering in the mine warfare sector by proposing training associated with modern, innovative systems that can be deployed from a dedicated ship or remotely operated velicles such as surface and underwater drones, towed sonar, data processing systems and simulators. To do so, the DCI has established partnerships with French companies including ECA group which was present at the two-day presentation event, providing workshops and demonstrated its innovative systems A9-M man-portable AUV dedicated to military applications. This AUV has been designed to meet STANAG 1364 requirements, with reduced acoustic and magnetic signatures in order not to trigger any underwater mines when doing the mine warfare survey.