TSAM

TSAM (Towed Synthetic Aperture Multiviews) is a mine-hunting sonar system developed by Thales, fitted to the Royal Navy's autonomous minehunter RNMB Ariadne. It uses synthetic aperture processing to generate high-resolution acoustic images of the seabed, allowing the sonar to identify and classify mines at ranges and resolutions that conventional sonars cannot achieve.

The towed configuration means TSAM is streamed behind Ariadne at low speed while it surveys a mine-suspect area, processing returning acoustic signals to build a detailed picture of the seabed. On Ariadne, TSAM works alongside a remotely operated mine neutraliser that can destroy identified mines without requiring a human diver or operator to approach the threat. Together they form the contact-to-clearance sequence that defines autonomous mine countermeasures: the sonar finds the mine, the neutraliser destroys it, and no sailor sits above the device at any point.

TSAM is part of Thales's contribution to the Anglo-French Maritime Mine Countermeasures (MMCM) programme, which has a UK share of approximately £184 million. The May 2026 deployment of Ariadne toward the Strait of Hormuz is the first potential operational use of TSAM in a live contested environment, rather than in development or trials.