Successful in military operations
The HUGIN MRS Program is being developed in several phases with technology, concept development and field evaluations in progress since 1998. This stage of the program included a number of HUGIN operations by the RNoN throughout 2002 and 2003, mobilising one of the existing HUGIN AUVs onboard the Norwegian mine hunter HNoMS Karmoey. These operations resulted in successful demonstrations of the HUGIN AUV in military operations.
Successfully deployed in several NATO exercises
The RNoN placed an order for the first HUGIN 1000, a dedicated AUV for military operation, early in 2004. HUGIN 1000 is operated from the RNoN mine hunter, HNoMS Karmoey, and has been successfully deployed in several NATO exercises and in NATO's Immediate Reaction Force MCMFORNORTH(1) from autumn 2004. Various types of operations have been performed, ranging from route surveys to covert mine reconnaissance and Rapid Environmental Assessment (REA) missions.
High quality, high resolution imagery
Equipped with side scan or synthetic aperture sonar, multibeam echo sounder, and a state of the art integrated inertial navigation system, HUGIN AUVs provide high quality, high resolution imagery and bathymetry with excellent position accuracy. A proven launch and recovery system allows safe and efficient operation in high sea states.
The next HUGIN 1000 for the RnoN will be equipped with the HISAS 1030, a high resolution Interferrometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar developed in co-operation between Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) and KONGSBERG. The vehicle endurance will also be extended by adding more modules of the pressure tolerant Lithium Polymer battery developed for the first HUGIN 1000 AUV. Improvements in military requirements and vehicle operation will be included, based on the RnoN's extensive field experience with the existing HUGIN 1000 AUV.
Both civilian and military application
The HUGIN AUVs have been developed in a dual civilian/military effort. In the civilian market the HUGIN 3000 is now established as the industry standard for AUV offshore surveying and is the only AUV that can run for 2.5 days at water depths down to 3000 meters, whilst operating multibeam echo sounder, side scan sonar and sub-bottom profiler. More than 55000 km of commercial surveying has been performed with the HUGIN 3000 AUVs. The work has taken place world wide at most deepwater offshore oil/gas provinces in water depth from shallow down to 3000 meters.