The Norwegian Coast Guard has developed and adopted a rapidly transferable solution employable by a large number of surface units, including those of the Royal Navy, of the AUV HUGIN through a standard container.
With this solution, the HUGIN can be launched and recovered directly from the deck using a specially developed container solution. This solution provides flexibility, speed, and a strong platform for operations over vast ocean areas.
Thanks to the new container-based solution introduced by the Coast Guard, new fields of use for the AUV HUGIN open up, not least in the areas of the open seas, where the need for monitoring, inspection and mapping of critical points and strategic underwater infrastructures increases.
HUGIN is developed, produced and delivered by Kongsberg Discovery in Horten and has already been in service for some time with the Royal Navy which uses it, mainly, for surveillance and mine clearance in coastal waters.
The AUV HUGIN operates autonomously or via acoustic guidance and can navigate to depths of 6,000 meters. Advanced sensors are present on board the vehicle, such as synthetic aperture sonar, echo sounder, magnetometer and digital camera, all of which can be used simultaneously. Thanks to replaceable batteries and storage supports, HUGIN is capable of executing long and complex operations with a high degree of endurance.
Source and photo credit @Norwegian Ministry of Defense-Forsvaret
