Balaena, Kongsberg Team Up to Bring Arctic Hunter USV to Royal Navy

British shipbuilding group Balaena and Norway's Kongsberg Maritime have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the Arctic Hunter uncrewed surface vessel (USV), a proposed solution for the Royal Navy's emerging Type 92 anti-submarine warfare requirement.

The agreement, signed at Kongsberg Maritime's offices in Norway on November 11, builds on an existing relationship between the companies and aims to combine British shipbuilding capabilities with Norwegian vessel design and autonomous technologies.

Arctic Hunter is designed for uncrewed naval operations in extreme Arctic conditions, combining Kongsberg Maritime's commercial vessel designs and remote and autonomous technologies with sonar and military communications capabilities from UK defence technology company Thales.

The proposed vessel is intended to provide persistent submarine detection capabilities in the High North, using a commercial shipbuilding approach designed to accelerate construction and delivery.

Under the proposed program, the vessels would be built at Balaena's Birkenhead shipyard in the UK, with the ambition of delivering units ready for military integration before the end of the decade.

The Birkenhead facility has four large dry docks, a non-tidal wet basin, fabrication facilities and a dedicated modular construction hall.

Headquartered in Cornwall, Balaena employs more than 2,000 people and operates shipbuilding, repair and engineering facilities across the UK and Gibraltar, including 12 dry docks.

The companies intend to use their collaboration to support the development of future naval capabilities and strengthen maritime security across the North Atlantic and High North.