Kongsberg Discovery Successfully Completes US Navy Acceptance Tests for HUGIN AUV

24 February 2025

HUGIN Superior Side. (Image credit: Kongsberg Discovery)

Kongsberg Discovery successfully completes acceptance testing of a HUGIN Superior autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) system for the Defense Innovation Unit and US Navy.

Only one year after being awarded a 24-month frame contract for Large Diameter Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (LDUUV) by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), KONGSBERG completed acceptance testing and delivery of the first HUGIN Superior AUV for this customer.

A Valuable Asset for the US Navy

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.

Impressed by the Pace

The completion of this effort is a testament to 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.

“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. 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,” said Rich Patterson, Vice President of Sales, Uncrewed Platforms Division.

Cutting-Edge Tech

KONGSBERG’s 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. With full ocean depth design, an endurance of over 70 hours, a navigational accuracy of <0.04% of distance traveled, and multiple mapping and imaging sensors, it leads the large AUV market in reliability and capability.

KONGSBERG has an extensive history of developing AUVs. From the first HUGIN dive in 1993 to the record-breaking multi-week mission of HUGIN Endurance last summer, HUGIN continues to be the gold standard of AUVs on the market. HUGIN is tightly integrated with KONGSBERG acoustic sensors, autonomy, navigation, and battery technology, resulting in a finely tuned system that produces the highest quality data.