15-Day Underwater Endurance – New Unmanned System

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

A new autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is capable of shore-to-shore operations over long ranges up to 2200 km. Kongsberg has recently rolled out a long-range drone that can perform uninterrupted shore-to-shore operations for up to 15 days at a time, extending the range of operations for covert data collection.

Hugin Endurance, evolved from the Hugin platform, can carry and run a wide range of sensor payloads, like a synthetic aperture sonar, a multibeam echo sounder, and more. 

“Teaming long endurance with large area coverage capabilities allows a single AUV to map areas up to 1,100 square kilometres in a single mission – a target impossible until now”, according to the company. The device’s persistence and payload make it ideal for defense applications, including military survey; wide area mine detection; or even “patrolling a choke point listening for submarines.”

The vehicle can be configured with a range of sensors focused on mission capabilities and situational awareness. This includes the proven hydro-acoustic instruments for mapping and inspection purposes.

Current military users of the Hugin platform include the U.S. Navy, the Royal Norwegian Navy, and the Indian Navy. 

The family of AUVs has also won acceptance in civilian academic research and commercial operations, according to maritime-executive.com.