| 
In a groundbreaking demonstration of innovation in offshore technology, Kongsberg Discovery has achieved a major milestone in the development of its HUGIN Endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). Following a multi-week, fully autonomous mission, the 8-ton, 40-foot AUV operated independently for the entire duration of the dive without any external navigation assistance.
The mission, conducted at depths ranging from 50 to 3,400 meters, covered an impressive 1,200 nautical miles. Most notably, HUGIN Endurance returned with a position error of just 0.02% of the total distance traveled, showcasing the vehicle’s remarkable precision.
After receiving an initial navigation update from a pre-deployed transponder 10 hours into the dive, the AUV completed the remainder of the mission entirely autonomously. The mission was designed to validate the AUV’s performance in real-world conditions, with complex routes including straight-line transits of 60-300 nautical miles and survey areas of 36 square nautical miles.
These surveys were completed within 48 hours, capturing high-resolution synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) imagery and bathymetric data using Kongsberg’s HISAS 1032 Dual Rx system. Additional camera imagery and laser profiling data were collected at altitudes as low as 9 meters.
Espen Henriksen, Executive Vice President of the Uncrewed Platforms Division, emphasized the significance of the achievement: “The success of this mission proves HUGIN Endurance’s shore-to-shore operational capability. By removing the need for a surface ship, we deliver substantial savings to our customers in both time and resources. We are incredibly proud of our team for making this groundbreaking achievement possible.”
Rich Patterson, Vice President of Sales for the Uncrewed Platforms Division, echoed these sentiments: “Our engineers and operators have proven that HUGIN Endurance is the most capable AUV on the market. This mission not only validated our design specifications but also demonstrated the robustness of our HUGIN autonomy framework in executing complex, multi-day missions without human intervention.”
This record-setting mission solidifies HUGIN Endurance’s position as a leading AUV platform, ready for deployment in real-world offshore operations, further underscoring its operational capabilities and potential cost savings for future missions.
Check more details here- https://www.kongsberg.com/discovery/news/news-archive/20232/smashing-auv-records/
