Kongsberg Discovery has completed acceptance testing and delivery of the first HUGIN Superior Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) for the US Defense Innovation Unit and US Navy. It comes just one year after being awarded a 24-month frame contract for Large Diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (LDUUVs).
This final testing was completed at the beginning of the year in Norway. The vehicle will now go on to provide real-world operational relevance and enhance the undersea capabilities of the US Navy.
The completion of this effort is a testament to Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU’s) commitment to fulfilling its mission of accelerating the adoption of commercial technology for national security. In the last year, the DIU team performed a rigorous technology assessment, which culminated in the order and delivery of a highly capable HUGIN AUV system in a short time.
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Proven AUV system
The HUGIN Superior is a proven AUV system that has been in active use by both commercial and military customers since 2019. It provides immediate operational capability for Subsea and Seabed Warfare (SSW), Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPoE), Mine Countermeasures (MCM), and inspection of critical undersea infrastructure at delivery with no required modifications.
It offers full ocean depth design, an endurance of over seventy hours, a navigational accuracy of <0.04 per cent of distance travelled, and multiple mapping and imaging sensors.
The first HUGIN dive was developed by Kongsberg in 1993 and has since been developed further. It is tightly integrated with Kongsberg acoustic sensors, autonomy, navigation, and battery technology resulting in a finely tuned system that produces the highest quality data.
‘Kongsberg is excited to be expanding our relationship with the US Navy and provide the cutting-edge capabilities that come standard with our HUGIN Superior AUV system,’ says Rich Patterson, Vice President of Sales, Uncrewed Platforms Division. ‘We applaud the DIU team for enabling this transfer of capability to the warfighter at an accelerated pace and look forward to valuable operator feedback and continued partnership to further evolve our product line.’
Picture: HUGIN Superior Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) (photo by Kongsberg).
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