Kongsberg Maritime sold four HUGIN Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) systems to the Indian Defence Public Sector shipyard Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), located in Kolkata, India. This sale was conducted in collaboration with Kongsberg Maritime India, a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime.

The purchase, which also includes HiPAP 502 high-accuracy acoustic positioning and communication systems to support AUV operations, will be installed on the four Large Survey vessels currently in build for the Indian Navy. GRSE Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral (Retd) Vipin Saxena said: “We are pleased and look forward to making use of the HUGIN AUVs from KONGSBERG, which will augment the Indian Navy’s capabilities for coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys to aid maritime operations, and will act as a force multiplier.”

Kongsberg Maritime is the world leader in deep water AUV systems. Since the first dive in 1993, Hugin has become the most successful AUV in the deep-water realm, with more kilometres surveyed than any other untethered underwater vehicle. Developed in partnership with FFI – the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment – HUGIN continues to improve with new capabilities, sensors and behaviours being added each year.

“We are honoured to have successfully demonstrated the capability of the system to the Indian Navy and to have them as a returning customer for the HUGIN AUV system,” said Stene Førsund, SVP Sensor and Robotics Sales, Kongsberg Maritime. “Their new HUGIN AUV systems are configured for their needs today and tomorrow with a multi-role capability. We are looking forward to working with GRSE.”

The AUVs will be supplied with containers and launch and recovery systems, plus training and support.