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Firm bets on converted fishing trawlers to tackle Russian submarines in the Arctic
Defense News • • world
Key Points:
- Norway’s Kongsberg Maritime has proposed the Arctic Hunter, an unmanned 56-meter trawler converted for anti-submarine warfare, to the British Royal Navy for Arctic operations targeting Russian submarines.
- The vessel is equipped with Thales UK submarine-hunting sonar, secure communications, and a redesigned propeller to minimize acoustic interference, enabling autonomous missions of up to 60 days.
- The Arctic Hunter concept supports the U.K.’s hybrid Navy strategy, where uncrewed surface drones assist crewed Type 26 frigates in anti-submarine tasks, with plans for a flotilla of 10 ships operating near the Bear Gap in the Arctic Ocean.
- Kongsberg Maritime views the development as a maritime engineering challenge, leveraging existing commercial ship designs adapted for unmanned use in harsh conditions, and intends to build the vessels in the U.K. if selected.
