Thales UK opened its UK Maritime Autonomy Test and Evaluation Centre (MAC) at Turnchapel Wharf in Plymouth in October 2018 principally to provide a suitable UK site to support the joint UK/French (Fr) maritime mine countermeas-ures (MMCM) project, but it has wider aspirations in the development of unmanned and autonomous maritime capabilities. The MAC is situated near the mouth of the River Plym where it enters Plymouth Sound, on a site once used by the Royal Marines' 539 Assault Squadron. It offers hangar space, offices, wharfage, and a slipway. John Hunnibell, manager of Thales Marine Operations Centre, explained to Jane's why the site was chosen. "We are geographically blessed. Within 10 minutes we can be working in the shallow, sheltered waters of the Sound, if those are the conditions we need. If we need deep, challenging conditions with exposure to the elements we have a choice of locations only 30 minutes away in the English Channel outside the Plymouth Breakwater. And most of the time the area is not too busy with other vessels. We have also identified and already utilised a number of shore locations to support trials. There are very few other locations on the south coast which offer these advantages."
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