Less than one year after contract award, Saab, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) and the Swedish Armed Forces have successfully developed, built and launched a demonstrator for a Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LUUV).
Developed at pace and according to plan, the demonstrator has progressed from concept to a fully functional vehicle. Following successful sea trials, the first phase of the project has been completed. The next phase is expected to focus on developing more advanced capabilities. The results will support the continued development of software, sensors and autonomous functions, while also contributing to future product development.
The vehicle illustrates how close collaboration between industry and government authorities can significantly reduce the time from identifying an operational need to testing a new capability.
"This project demonstrates how new technologies can be rapidly translated into practical operational value. The uncrewed underwater vehicle can contribute to increased endurance, enhanced situational awareness and strengthened underwater capabilities. The fact that we have also been able to develop and test the system in such a short timeframe demonstrates the strength of the collaboration between the Swedish Armed Forces, FMV and Saab," says Mats Wicksell, head of Saab's business area Naval.
The demonstrator has been developed to support the development and evaluation of future underwater capabilities and to enable operations alongside existing naval platforms, such as submarines.
The rapid development has been enabled by Saab's software-centric approach and the integration of Autonomous Ocean Core, Saab's autonomous control system that provides surface and subsurface vehicles with autonomous capabilities. Combined with Swedish expertise in submarine design and sensor integration, this has made it possible to take the project swiftly from concept to sea trials.
The LUUV project builds on Saab's earlier investments and work in autonomous underwater systems and is now led by FMV in cooperation with the Swedish Armed Forces and Saab. The project provides a basis for Swedish authorities' decisions regarding the future acquisition and operational use of autonomous underwater systems.
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Saab is a leading defence and security company with an enduring purpose, to help nations keep their people and society safe. Empowered by its 29,000 talented people, Saab constantly pushes the boundaries of technology to create a safer and more sustainable world. Saab designs, manufactures and maintains advanced systems in aeronautics, weapons, command and control, sensors and underwater systems. Saab is headquartered in Sweden. It has major operations all over the world and is part of the domestic defence capability of several nations.