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US military contracts AUV specialist to develop unmanned underwater vehicles
The US Military has contracted Kongsberg Discovery to supply two autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) as part of the US Navy’s programme to develop unmanned subsea vessels
Kongsberg gained a contract from the US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to help the US Navy develop its large displacement unmanned underwater vehicle (LDUUV) prototype for the next 24 months.
The Norwegian group will provide two Hugin AUVs, one from its Superior series and another from its Endurance class, which Kongsberg introduced at Riviera Maritime Media’s OSJ Subsea Conference in London, UK, 6 February. The total contract could result in the US Navy acquiring these deepwater AUVs.
Hugin Endurance is the biggest and most capable, with an overall length of 12 m, a diameter of 1,245 mm and 15-day endurance. It enables unsupervised shore-to-shore operations over a range of 1,200 nautical miles.
Hugin Superior is the workhorse of the Kongsberg Hugin AUV fleet, and a length of 7 m, a diameter of 890 mm and 2-3 days of endurance, and is capable of operating down to 6,000-m water depth.
Both vehicles have a suite of Kongsberg’s sensors for inertial navigation, environmental intelligence, mine counter measures, seafloor mapping and seabed warfare. With the extended range, Hugin Endurance can provide these services further from shore and in more remote locations.
“With Hugin Endurance, we are pushing the boundaries for autonomous over-the-horizon AUV operations,” said Kongsberg Discovery president Martin Wien Fjell.
“We bring our many years of AUV experience in support of the US government and look forward to closely partnering with DIU and the US Navy to support making their LDUUV programme a reality.”
During Riviera’s conference, Mr Fjell said Hugin Endurance weighs 8,000 kg and has a 400-kWh lithium-polymer battery. The first of these new AUVs will be tested in February 2024 with dives in the seas off Norway and in the Atlantic, he said.
Riviera Maritime Media’s OSJ Conference, Americas, part of the annual global OSJ Conference series, returns to Houston in June 2024. This two-day event will bring together the OSV community to explore the emerging opportunities in the resurgent regional offshore energy sector, including traditional oil and gas and wind. Use this link for more information and to register for the conference.
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