Vatn Systems Launches Autonomous Mine Countermeasure System
Vatn Systems, a defense technology company building autonomous underwater vehicles for the U.S. military, allied nations, and commercial customers, announced the launch of SIGURD, a fully modular mine countermeasure system capable of both detecting and neutralizing naval mines. Built on Vatn's Skelmir S6 AUV platform, SIGURD is the first all-in-one autonomous mine countermeasure system capable of tracking, detection, and terminal engagement at an unmatched price point that makes wide-scale deployment achievable.
The launch of SIGURD comes as global demand for scalable, affordable mine countermeasures capability accelerates, particularly across the Indo-Pacific and in maritime chokepoints where undersea threats have increased. In testing against inert mines, SIGURD has successfully detected and intercepted targets, and the system is expected to be deployable this year.
The system has the same platform, software stack, and command and control architecture that powers the company's broader AUV product line, now available with two payloads for mine countermeasures and upgraded software to support mine countermeasures. The system's two modular components can be deployed independently or together as a complete end-to-end solution. The detection variant equips the S6 with a side scan sonar payload capable of detecting undersea mines at operational depths of up to 100 meters, with a roughly 6-hour run time and 30 nautical mile operational range.
The neutralization variant uses a forward-looking sensor system to execute terminal guidance on confirmed targets, with operators choosing between a fully autonomous engagement mode or a human-in-the-loop approach. Both variants integrate with Vatn's TAK-based command and control interface.