Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle Demonstrator Launched

Saab, the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV), and the Swedish Armed Forces have successfully developed, built, and launched a demonstrator for a Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (LUUV) less than one year after the contract was awarded.

Developed at pace and according to plan, the demonstrator has transitioned from initial concept into a fully functional vehicle. Following successful sea trials, the first phase of the project has now concluded, paving the way for a second phase expected to focus on the development of more advanced capabilities. The resulting test data and technical findings will support the ongoing maturation of software, sensors, and autonomous functions while contributing to future product development.

The vehicle highlights how close cooperation between defence authorities and industry can drastically compress the timeframe required to advance from identifying an operational need to conducting live trials of a new capability. Built to support the evaluation of emerging underwater systems, the platform is also designed to operate collaboratively alongside existing naval assets, including submarines.

“This project demonstrates how new technologies can be rapidly translated into practical operational value. The uncrewed underwater vehicle can contribute to increased endurance, enhanced situational awareness and strengthened underwater capabilities. The fact that we have also been able to develop and test the system in such a short timeframe demonstrates the strength of the collaboration between the Swedish Armed Forces, FMV and Saab,” says Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s business area Naval.

The accelerated timeline was enabled by Saab’s software-centric engineering approach and the direct integration of Autonomous Ocean Core, the company’s autonomous control system designed to provide surface and subsurface vessels with autonomous operation. Combined with established Swedish expertise in submarine design and sensor integration, this software framework allowed engineers to take the project swiftly from the drawing board to sea trials.

The LUUV initiative builds on Saab’s prior research and investment into autonomous underwater systems and is currently led by FMV in collaboration with the Swedish Armed Forces and Saab. The ongoing project will provide the empirical baseline for Swedish defence authorities as they make future decisions regarding the acquisition and operational deployment of autonomous underwater systems.