Kongsberg Maritime combines commercial shipbuilding expertise and autonomous vessel technology to support next-generation naval operations in Arctic waters
Kongsberg Maritime has unveiled the Arctic Hunter USV, a new class of uncrewed surface vessel designed to accelerate the deployment of hybrid naval fleets combining crewed and uncrewed assets.
Developed in response to the UK Royal Navy’s plans to expand its hybrid fleet, the Arctic Hunter USV combines a proven commercial vessel design with Kongsberg Maritime’s remote and autonomous technologies to deliver persistent anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability in the demanding operating conditions of the High North.
With decades of experience designing commercial and governmental vessels, Kongsberg Maritime has selected one of its proven Arctic commercial vessel designs to adapt and optimise for the Royal Navy’s Type 92 ASW requirement. Designed to operate in the demanding conditions of the High North, Arctic Hunter USV provides a robust platform for uncrewed military sensing operations.
Kongsberg Maritime’s uncrewed vessel technology has already received flag-state approval from classification society DNV and the Norwegian Maritime Authority. These approvals demonstrate the company’s ability to address the complex marine engineering and platform control requirements involved in operating large, uncrewed offshore vessels.
The Arctic Hunter USV is designed to be built at pace by commercial shipyards, with military capability integrated by the defence industry. The vessel is equipped with Thales UK’s sovereign submarine-hunting sonar and secure military communications systems, providing a resilient, high-performing remote sensing platform. Significant payload capacity and deck space allow the vessel to accommodate alternative or additional mission systems throughout its operational life.
Operating from a forward support base inside the Arctic Circle, the Arctic Hunter USV is designed to provide a persistent sensing capability to augment the existing multi-asset ASW infrastructure in the High North.
Speaking ahead of this week’s Atlantic Future Forum conference in Oslo, Lisa Edvardsen Haugan, CEO of Kongsberg Maritime, said: “Atlantic security is an absolute priority, and we believe that the Arctic Hunter USV offers a robust and practical response to the growing need for additional submarine detection capability. For more than 50 years, Kongsberg Maritime has designed vessels to operate in demanding Arctic waters. Combined with our dynamic positioning, remote and autonomous technologies, that expertise provides the foundation for a commercial shipbuilding approach to delivering Type 92 vessels.”
To support accelerated delivery, Kongsberg Maritime is working with its established long-term shipbuilding partner Balaena Maritime, with new ships planned to be delivered from their Birkenhead yard, ready for militarisation and operational deployment by the end of this decade.
The Arctic Hunter USV combines a proven hull design, flag-state approved uncrewed technology and commercial shipbuilding with Thales UK’s sovereign sonar and military communications technology, creating a commercially based submarine-hunting capability for the Royal Navy, with potential application across NATO and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations.
A Type 92 ASW programme based upon Arctic Hunter USV supports the Lunna House agreement for the UK and Norway to lead NATO’s adoption of autonomous systems in the High North. Kongsberg Maritime will sign Technology Collaboration Agreements with Thales UK and Balaena Maritime during Atlantic Future Forum this week. These agreements will further strengthen UK and Norway industrial collaboration and support skilled jobs.
