The activities of Naval vessels, particularly Submarines, including Trident, Mine Hunting Vessels and Capital Ships that need to use sonar can, and will be constrained by the presence of CHECKMATE. This includes those vessels using Variable Depths Sonar (VDS). Indeed the CHECKMATE Concept begs the question ‘will the new long range 2093 Sonar, recently introduced into the Royal Navy, be disadvantaged through the effect of the Inverse Square Law (ISL) in combination with CHECKMATE.

When deployed in its surveillance/ intelligence gathering roles CHECKMATE offers the facility to monitor and pinpoint clandestine incursions into Home or Sensitive Waters much more cost effectively than can be done by maintaining ships on station, or Aircraft on patrol. In addition, airborne delivery of strong>CHECKMATE offers the facility to seal strategic choke points, ports or Harbour Approaches in a matter of hours.

Following the arrival of this new era in Maritime Warfare consider the effect of hidden mobile underwater weapons encased in CHECKMATE programmed to attack pre-selected targets say in the approaches to Portsmouth, the Firth of Forth, Brest, San Diego, Norfolk Virginia, the Straits of Hormuz, Singapore, Mumbai, Vladivostok and Murmansk. The list is endless and disturbing.

How, therefore, is it proposed to counter and overcome the threat of an intelligent multi-role payload carrying can which is hidden in the sea bed?

It is essential for those charged with protecting the interests of their homeland,

to be aware of Checkmate and its potential.