Kongsberg unveils Arctic Hunter to search for Russian submarines — The War Zone

Norwegian company Kongsberg Maritime has unveiled the Arctic Hunter uncrewed surface vessel project for anti-submarine surveillance in the North Atlantic and Arctic in the interests of the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy. The platform is being developed to meet the prospective British Type 92 requirement, which предусматривает the use of autonomous vessels for the prolonged detection of submarines of the Russian Federation — an aggressor state.

As The War Zone reports, Arctic Hunter is based on the commercial hull of an Arctic fishing vessel measuring 184 feet, or approximately 56 metres, in length. Kongsberg Maritime plans to remove the wheelhouse and fish-processing equipment to accommodate military systems and remote-control equipment.

Towed sonar and uncrewed operations

The platform is designed around the Sonar 2087 towed sonar system manufactured by Thales Underwater Systems. Such systems are already installed on the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigates and are also planned for the future Type 26 anti-submarine frigates.

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Kongsberg Maritime states that it is optimising Arctic Hunter’s hull and propeller to reduce underwater noise that could interfere with sonar operations. The vessel is designed to remain at sea for up to 60 days without people on board. Under normal operations, it will be controlled from a shore-based centre, although engineers will be able to board it for maintenance.

An element of the Hybrid Navy concept

At the initial stage, Arctic Hunter is proposed for use as a sensor platform: a group of such vessels could collect data on the underwater situation and transmit it to the British military. In the future, Kongsberg Maritime is considering the interaction of uncrewed platforms with Type 26 frigates as autonomous support platforms.

For the British requirement, the company is working with partner Balaena Maritime; construction is planned at its shipyard in Birkenhead. Type 92 is one of four types of uncrewed vessels envisaged by the Hybrid Navy concept, under which autonomous systems are to operate alongside traditional ships and aircraft.