Deep-Water Autonomous Drone Procured for Ocean Research & Subsea Security

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology has announced its largest equipment purchase for the Fjordlab facility within the Norwegian Ocean Technology Centre, acquiring a KONGSBERG HUGIN 6000 autonomous underwater vehicle.

The procurement was officially announced at the Defence Conference in Trondheim by NTNU Rector Tor Grande and Norwegian Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik. The autonomous drone will join the offshore equipment fleet at the Norwegian Centre for Ocean Technology, expanding academic research capabilities and supporting ongoing innovation in maritime autonomy.

Capable of diving to depths of 6,000 meters to cover all Norwegian territorial waters, the HUGIN 6000 can operate continuously for up to three days without recharging. Equipped with a high-resolution camera, the system can map two to four square kilometers of seabed per hour. Beyond ocean exploration, NTNU researchers plan to further develop the autonomous underwater vehicle to support subsea infrastructure protection and defence capabilities in uncertain times.

Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik highlighted the vital role of critical deep-water infrastructure in Norway’s export revenues and Europe’s energy security, emphasizing the value of dual-use ocean technology.

“Norway is a world leader in maritime research and ocean autonomy. HUGIN is the result of long-term technology collaboration between the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and Kongsberg, and a strong example of Norwegian high-tech success. Dual-use technology strengthens defence capability. When civilian and military technology development advance together, we build national expertise that enables faster development and innovation,” he said.

“I am pleased that researchers at the Norwegian Centre for Ocean Technology will be involved in further developing this technology. This will probably be the largest investment in the Fjordlab part of the centre,” Sandvik added.

First developed in collaboration with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment 35 years ago, HUGIN is widely recognized as a leading autonomous underwater vehicle platform. Arne Rinnan, EVP and CTO in KONGSBERG, noted that the company looks forward to many years of continued collaboration with NTNU.

“HUGIN is the autonomous underwater robot that can go far and deep, and that you can expect to return when it has done its job. It has a reliability, robustness, and ability to observe things on the seabed and in the water column that no one else can match,” said Rinnan.

According to NTNU Rector Tor Grande, the investment reinforces Norway’s status as a high-tech maritime nation while opening new research avenues for the university, which was established in 1910 as Norway’s largest institution specializing in science and technology.

“With HUGIN, the academic communities get an advanced underwater drone that provides great opportunities to explore and understand the ocean better. For us as, a leading university, the purchase of HUGIN is also an important piece in further developing autonomous vessels, which can, among other things, secure oil and gas pipelines, as well as internet and power cables on the seabed,” said Grande.