Sweden has signed a contract with Saab to procure an undisclosed number of its autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the AUV62-MR, for anti-mine operations.
The AUV62-MR is designed to support the navy in underwater reconnaissance missions by detecting potential threats.
It can map large sections of the seabed and generate high-resolution sonar imagery to identify and classify underwater mines, along with other objects that could pose security risks.
“In addition to strengthening existing mine countermeasures capabilities, these systems will be an important part of the navy’s work towards future mine countermeasures capabilities,” said Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s Kockums business area headquartered in Malmö.
Saab emphasized that the system offers high endurance, enabling the navy to perform multiple tasks simultaneously with fewer resources and reduced risk to personnel.
Undersea Security
Reacting to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, NATO allies have increased their focus on safeguarding underwater areas in northern Europe, where key energy supply and communication infrastructures are located.
Last month, several European governments accused Moscow of escalating hybrid warfare tactics after two fiber-optic telecommunications cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea.
In connection with the incident, Swedish authorities are investigating the potential involvement of a Chinese ship spotted near Denmark’s coast.
In September 2022, explosions ruptured three of the four Nord Stream pipelines in international waters in the Baltic Sea.
The blasts occurred within the exclusive economic zones of both Sweden and Denmark, with NATO members warning of potential sabotage.