Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)

The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), on behalf of the U.S. Navy, has procured HUGIN Superior and potentially HUGIN Endurance autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) from Kongsberg Discovery AS under a 24-month prototype contract awarded in 2024 for the Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (LDUUV) program. These AUVs are intended for undersea missions including Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPoE), Mine Countermeasures (MCM), Seabed Warfare (SBW), and seafloor mapping, with the first HUGIN Superior delivered after acceptance testing to enhance U.S. Navy undersea capabilities. This procurement supports rapid adoption of commercial technology for national security, amid rising global tensions driving U.S. demand for advanced subsea systems.