Kongsberg Discovery has announced the successful completion of a record-setting mission by its HUGIN Endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). The vehicle completed a multi-week mission autonomously, operating without human interaction or external navigation assistance after receiving a navigation update 10 hours into the dive. During the mission, the AUV navigated at depths ranging from 50 to 3,400 meters, achieving its advertised range of 1,200 nautical miles with a minimal position error of 0.02% over the total distance traveled.
The mission, designed to validate the AUV’s design specifications, included both straight-line transits of up to 300 nautical miles and survey operations covering 36 square nautical miles. These operations featured high-resolution sonar imaging and bathymetry using Kongsberg’s HISAS 1032 system. Additionally, camera imagery and laser profiling data were collected at altitudes as low as 9 meters.
Kongsberg executives, including Espen Henriksen, Executive Vice President of the Uncrewed Platforms Division, and Rich Patterson, Vice President of Sales for the same division, expressed confidence in the operational capabilities demonstrated during the mission. They highlighted the potential for substantial cost and resource savings by eliminating the need for surface ships during AUV deployments. The mission is considered a validation of the HUGIN autonomy framework, confirming the system’s ability to conduct complex, multi-day missions independently.
