Greek Innovation Beneath the Waves: ARGO USV and the Future of Autonomous Mine Warfare.

UCANDRONE's ARGO Unmanned Surface Vehicle represents a generational shift in naval mine countermeasures by combining modular autonomous swarm capabilities with integrated mini-kamikaze underwater munitions. Engineered by the Greek defense manufacturer as part of EFA GROUP, the platform was successfully evaluated during the Hellenic Navy's UVEX 1/26 exercise to automate hazardous sea-clearance operations.

The compact 82 kg twin-hull USV utilizes advanced multibeam sensors and AI software to autonomously detect seabed threats and deploy precision-guided underwater strike systems. This end-to-end architecture minimizes personnel risks while providing scalable and cost-effective maritime security for modern naval forces.

Related topic: Greek company EFA Group raises €80 million in new funding to support international growth

The ARGO is a 3-meter Greek unmanned surface vessel designed for mine countermeasures that combines autonomous seabed search and mine detection with the deployment of up to eight expendable UUVs for mine neutralization. (Picture source: UCANDRONE)

Naval mines remain one of the most persistent and asymmetric maritime threats. Their low cost, ease of deployment, and ability to disrupt ports, chokepoints, and coastal routes make them a constant risk to both military and commercial shipping. As a result, Mine Countermeasure (MCM) operations are essential for ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security. Today, MCM is shifting from traditional crewed platforms to unmanned and remotely operated systems, including Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV), Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), and aerial assets. Powered by advances in sensors, AI, data fusion, and real-time communications, these technologies enable safer, faster, and more effective mine detection and neutralization, driving a new generation of innovative MCM solutions.

A standout example is the ARGO USV, engineered by UCANDRONE, Greece’s cutting‑edge unmanned‑systems manufacturer and a member of EFA GROUP. ARGO represents a new generation of MCM capabilities, combining autonomous, network-enabled operations with exceptional flexibility and ease of deployment. Its distributed architecture enables coordinated swarm missions for rapid mine detection and clearance over large maritime areas, while minimizing risk to personnel. Designed for use not only by naval forces but also from auxiliary and commercial vessels, ARGO also supports coastal reconnaissance, force protection, and the security of critical maritime infrastructure.

First showcased in operational conditions during the NEMO Trials 2024, and two years later tested successfully during the UVEX1/26 Hellenic Navy’s exercise, this Greek‑built USV embodies a new generation of mission‑configurable unmanned platforms capable of operating across both surface and subsurface domains, delivering a flexible, scalable and resilient solution for modern mine warfare. ARGO features a lightweight composite twin‑hull design optimized for durability and stability. Measuring 3 m in length, 1.7 m in beam and 0.35 m in draft, and weighing just 82 kg, the platform supports a payload capacity of up to 105 kg. Its compact architecture, reduced visual, acoustic, and thermal signature, and electric propulsion system, supported by solar panels, make it ideal for operations in shallow coastal waters, port areas, naval bases, critical maritime infrastructure, rivers, and confined waterways.

Equipped with an advanced radio‑communication suite, ARGO operates autonomously or via long‑range remote control through SCYTALYS’s MIMS Tactical Situation Awareness and C2 systems, also part of EFA GROUP, ensuring secure, resilient command even within contested electromagnetic environments. ARGO can operate either as a standalone autonomous system or as part of a coordinated multi-vessel swarm deployed from a mothership. Its flexible design allows deployment from naval, auxiliary, and commercial platforms, requiring only minimal personnel and logistical support. This flexible architecture enables high-precision detection, recognition, and identification of underwater threats while rapidly surveying and securing large maritime areas.

The Greek USV conducts seabed mine‑detection missions using a suite of advanced sensors, including Multibeam Hydrographic Sonar, LiDAR, Sound Velocity Sensor, Surface and Subsurface Optical Surveillance system, and Forward Obstacle Avoidance Sonar (FOAS), all integrated with onboard AI software. Upon detecting targets, ARGO can deploy mini-Kamikaze UUV underwater strike munitions to neutralize identified mines. The low‑cost, revolutionary, mini‑Kamikaze UUV, conceived and engineered by UCANDRONE, stands as a compact embodiment of precision lethality and advanced underwater warfare design. Measuring 0.6 m in length and 0.3 m in beam, weighing 5.8 kg and carrying a 3kg munition payload, it delivers striking power far beyond its size.

It can dive to 31 m, reach speeds of 10 knots, and offers 7 hours of endurance thanks to advanced lithium‑ion batteries. ARGO can carry and deploy up to eight of these UUVs, which navigate to the target area, loiter and detonate on impact to neutralize mines and other designated threats.The mini‑Kamikaze UUV can be guided through a fiber‑optic link or via a data‑link connection supported by a surface buoy equipped with an antenna. Its onboard camera provides real‑time visibility of the underwater environment, ensuring full man‑in‑the‑loop control. The system is fully integrated into the SCYTALYS’s MIMS Tactical Situation Awareness and C2 suite. During the Hellenic Navy’s UVEX 1-26 exercise, UCANDRONE’s mini-Kamikaze UUV was employed operationally for the first time, demonstrating a significant milestone in autonomous MCM operations.

After ARGO successfully detected and classified mock sea mines using its onboard sensor suite, it autonomously deployed the mini-Kamikaze UUV to neutralize the targets. The exercise validated the system’s end-to-end capability, showcasing its effectiveness in real-world operational scenarios while minimizing risk to personnel and manned platforms. As maritime threats evolve, platforms like ARGO USV exemplify the emerging trajectory of modern naval forces: heightened autonomy, distributed force structures and deeply data‑driven decision‑making. By fusing advanced sensing technologies with intelligent onboard processing and adaptable deployment concepts, ARGO is redefining mine warfare transforming a historically perilous mission into a far more efficient, scalable and resilient operational capability

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.