Europe
Saab, FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces launch a large uncrewed underwater vehicle demonstrator
Less than a year after contract award, Saab, FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces have launched a demonstrator for a Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle, with sea trials completed and a more advanced phase expected next.
Saab, Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Swedish Armed Forces have launched a demonstrator of a Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LUUV), less than a year after the contract was awarded. Saab announced on 16 October that sea trials had been completed successfully, closing the first phase of the project.
What the demonstrator is for
According to Saab, the vehicle was built to support the development and evaluation of future underwater capabilities and to allow operations alongside existing naval platforms, such as submarines. It is not presented as a finished product: the results will feed the continued development of software, sensors and autonomous functions, and the next phase is expected to concentrate on more advanced capabilities.
Saab says the speed came from a software-centric approach and from the integration of its Autonomous Ocean Core, a control system that gives surface and underwater vehicles autonomous capabilities. The company adds that Swedish expertise in submarine design and sensor integration helped take the project from concept to sea trials quickly.
Who leads from here
The project builds on earlier Saab investment in autonomous underwater systems. It is now led by FMV in cooperation with the armed forces and Saab, and Saab says it will provide a basis for Swedish authorities’ decisions on the future acquisition and operational use of autonomous underwater systems. No order, number of vehicles, size, range or cost was given in the announcement.
Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s Naval business area, said the vehicle “can contribute to increased endurance, enhanced situational awareness and strengthened underwater capabilities”, and that the short timeframe shows how close collaboration between industry and government can cut the time from an identified operational need to a tested capability.
The launch is another item in a run of Saab and FMV announcements this week, including the first GlobalEye aircraft for the Swedish Air Force, covered in Saab presents first GlobalEye for Sweden, which has ordered three of the airborne early warning aircraft.