Norway orders autonomous mine-hunting systems

March 27 (UPI) -- HUGIN autonomous underwater vehicle systems for detection and identification of mines have been ordered by Norway from Kongsberg Maritime, the company announced Monday.

The contract issued by the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency and is worth about $18.2 million, Kongsberg said.

The HUGIN underwater system has a depth rating more than 9,000 feet. The vehicles are outfitted with advanced sensors.

The contract from Norway includes provisions for mission planning, execution and analysis, plus launch and recovery systems both for the Navy's mine hunting vessels and mobile containers.

Training on the use of the systems and maintenance are also covered.

"The Royal Norwegian Navy, the Norwegian defense research establishment and Kongsberg have worked on development and verification of AUV systems for mine hunting over many years," said Egil Haugsdal, president at Kongsberg Maritime, said in a press release. "We look forward to continued collaboration."

A delivery schedule for the systems was not disclosed.