HISAS launch heralds new age of subsea insight

“Once you’ve watched a film on an ultra-high definition TV, you wouldn’t go back to an old cathode ray tube set from the 1980s, would you? You’ve experienced a different reality, new possibilities. That’s how I see HISAS in the context of the subsea sonar market. It sets a new standard. It is, quite literally, second to none.”

Lars Jørgensen, Head of Product Management, MacArtney Underwater Technology, is struggling to contain his enthusiasm for the HISAS2020 synthetic aperture sonar. Following on from the signing of an MoU between his company and Kongsberg Discovery in December 2025, the HISAS is now available as an integrated payload component on MacArtney’s FOCUS 3 ROTV (Remotely Operated Towed Vehicle), delivering, as he explains, “crystal sharp, centimetre level resolution”.

“It doesn’t really matter what segment you’re in,” he notes, referring to MacArtney’s core customer groups within ocean science, naval, and the energy industries, “if you want better results than ever before, with range-independent ultra-high resolution imagery (with integrated bathymetry) and real-time processing capability, then HISAS is the answer. Combine that with the hydrodynamic stability, flexibility and reliable performance of the FOCUS 3, and you have the best of both worlds.”

The pairing unlocks a remarkably broad application scope, giving operators in any segment a flexible, high-precision toolset for advanced subsea insight.

Or as Jørgensen puts it through a broad smile:

“Applications? Take your pick!” 

Missions accomplished

HISAS2020 is unique in the subsea technology arena – it’s a brand-new innovation with proven market pedigree.

This year marks the first time it’s been made available as a platform-agnostic, standalone product, after decades of refinement as an integrated part of payloads onboard Kongsberg Discovery’s HUGIN family of AUVs (the most commercially successful AUV of all time). That means it has a track record of thousands of successful missions completed, delivering imagery with resolutions many times higher than conventional sonar.

In response to growing market demand and an increasingly dynamic subsea industry (with ever-changing risks and opportunities), the KONGSBERG Group business has decided to make HISAS’ benefits accessible to a wider audience. MacArtney was first in line.

“We’ve worked with KONGSBERG for decades, and their technology has always stood out,” comments Bjarke Ovesen, Sales Director, MacArtney. “Integrating their portfolio onto the FOCUS 3 – itself a world-leading platform in its class – gives users significant benefits and real operational value.”

Real-time advantage

With a depth rating of 1000m and operational speeds ranging from 2 to 10 knots, the FOCUS 3 is suited to a diverse array of tasks. As Ovesen explains, its manoeuvrability and stability make it the ideal platform for the HISAS: “A rock solid platform, like the FOCUS 3, positions you perfectly to get optimal value from this amazing, high resolution sensor technology.”

The nature of use on ROTVs, with data transfer through cables, highlights another key benefit of the HISAS2020: real-time processing.

Both Jørgensen and Ovesen stress that HISAS, which operates in the 70–100 kHz  frequency range, has real-time GPU-enabled processing architecture. This allows data to be transformed from raw acoustic returns into actionable insights during the mission itself, rather than through post-processing onshore.

“That means faster decision-making, which can be critical in demanding applications, while the asset is actually in the water,” Ovesen notes, “with more timely responses. It also reduces survey time, operational risk, redeployments, and, of course, costs, while optimising efficiency. That can be a real game-changer.”

Endless applications

Returning to the question of applications, neither expert wants to be tied down, given the potential is so great.

“I think the possibilities of a super high-quality, incredibly efficient SAS solution are so great we should spark ideas rather than prescribing jobs,” Ovesen says.

“There’s really endless possibilities.”

Jørgensen agrees to give a taste, though.

“Well,” he states, “if you’re looking within ocean science, you can map in great detail for long-term understanding of habitats and features, and ongoing monitoring and environmental research. In energy, you can survey sites with confidence and massively enhance inspection and monitoring capabilities for pipelines, cables and other offshore assets, ensuring integrity. On a similar point, Defence operators can safeguard critical underwater infrastructure – a key concern at present – while undertaking complex mine counter measures (MCM) and dealing with UXOs. And then there’s search and rescue capabilities, identifying and responsibly extracting rare ocean minerals, and much more… as I said, take your pick. Anything where you need high quality imaging and more informed decision making – quickly, reliably and with minimum risk and maximum precision.”

And it’s these compelling benefits that are the key reasoning behind the HISAS launch.

New horizons

Both MacArtney and Kongsberg Discovery are united by their aim to serve their end users – understanding their needs and tackling pain points.

More than that, though, they now believe they’re in the position of actually showing the industry what’s possible, rather than responding to their desires… of pushing the envelope further than ever before.

Ovesen explains: “We have a robust, versatile and proven platform and with our data handling capacity – we’re now launching the industry’s first complete harness solution with 10 Gbit/s assured to 6,000m – we can provide the bandwidth to get the most out of transformational technology such as the HISAS2020, in real-time. Imagine what benefits that can unlock for users.”

Jørgensen says actors across all segments, from defence to energy, can gain “real competitive advantage” from the offering, opening up a “new era of subsea understanding.”

As he said at the start of the conversation, why go back when you can set a new standard?