BlueDome is a complete, fully integrated system designed to protect commercial ships against piracy.
Autoprotection is a French consortium coordinated by Sagem and including major multinationals and specialized smaller businesses, all specialized in defense and security, and public entities: Amefo, Bureau Veritas, Eca Group, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Maritime, Lacroix, Sofresud, SeaOwl and Thales.
A graduated, non-lethal solution, BlueDome offers several successive barriers to protect ships during all attack phases. It includes the long-range detection of small craft, analysis of their behavior, identification using a day/night optronic turret, implementation of remote deterrents (light projectors, acoustic devices) and anti-boarding measures (water cannons, smoke grenades), as well as the ballistic protection of vulnerable areas and location of crew members.
BlueDome automatically analyzes the situation and manages all systems and devices. Using an intuitive, user-friendly interface, it allows the crew to monitor the situation and approve recommended actions from a tablet. BlueDome also supports the remote operation of sensors and effectors from a secure area on the bridge (citadel), or anywhere else on the ship.
The development of BlueDome was co-funded by ADEME (the French environment and energy management agency), within the scope of France's Investment in the Future initiative. It is supported by the French Maritime Cluster and incorporates recommendations from France's top maritime piracy experts.
The BlueDome system is currently being demonstrated in an at-sea trial on the VN – Partisan, a training vessel operated by the company SeaOwl.
Sagem, a high-tech company of Safran, holds world or European leadership positions in optronics, avionics, electronics and safety-critical software for both civil and military markets. Sagem is the No. 1 company in Europe and No. 3 worldwide.
Sagem is also the world leader in helicopter flight controls and the European leader in optronics and tactical UAV systems.
