Thales UK announced the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Norwegian maritime technology enterprise Kongsberg Maritime to collaboratively develop an integrated anti-submarine warfare (ASW) solution tailored for the United Kingdom Royal Navy’s emerging **Type 92 (T92)** uncrewed surface vessel (USV) requirement.
Aimed at securing the North Atlantic and High North operational corridors, the collaboration couples Thales’ advanced underwater acoustic sensing, tactical planning, and secure communications suites with Kongsberg Maritime’s newly unveiled **Arctic Hunter** uncrewed surface platform. The initiative directly supports the Royal Navy’s broader strategic transition toward a “Hybrid Fleet” combining conventional crewed warships with scalable, autonomous systems.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: TYPE 92 ASW USV ARCHITECTURE
Kongsberg Maritime Arctic Hunter Uncrewed Platform
⚡ Prime Platform Developer: Kongsberg Maritime (Norway) / Potential UK Build via Balaena Maritime (Birkenhead)
⚡ Hull & Heritage Design: Adapted from a rugged, commercially proven 56-meter (184-foot) Arctic-class commercial fishing trawler design optimized for harsh North Atlantic sea states
⚡ Endurance & Deployment Profile: Designed for long-duration uncrewed missions lasting up to 60 days, operating from forward bases such as Northern Norway
⚡ Acoustic Signature Redirection: Specialized hull and propeller modifications to minimize self-noise and prevent acoustic interference with sensitive onboard sonar arrays
⚡ Payload Capacity: Generous rear deck space and modular internal volume allowing flexible, evolving sensor integration over the vessel’s operational lifecycle 
Thales UK Underwater Warfare & Mission Systems Suite
💥 Core Sensor & Processing Architecture:
• Advanced Sonar & Acoustic Sensors: Derived from Thales’ combat-proven surface ship sonar lineage (supporting Type 23 and Type 26 frigates)
• cortAIx Artificial Intelligence Accelerator: Utilizes onboard AI-assisted data exploitation and acoustic modeling to rapidly detect, classify, and track underwater submarine contacts in complex littoral and deep-water environments
• C4ISR Integration: Secure military communications and automated tactical planning frameworks ensuring seamless integration into multi-domain maritime command networks
TIMES OF DEFENCE ASSESSMENTT
The Thales-Kongsberg partnership for the Type 92 program highlights key strategic and industrial trends in modern naval warfare:
1. **Leveraging Commercial Hull Designs for Rapid Scale and Mass**: Building uncrewed military platforms out of modified commercial fishing trawler designs significantly reduces procurement costs and circumvents traditional naval shipyard bottlenecks, allowing navies to acquire critical tactical mass quickly.
2. **Hardening the “Atlantic Bastion” Against Underwater Threats**: With expanding subsurface operations by rival powers in the High North and North Atlantic, deploying autonomous ASW “sloops” equipped with sophisticated sonar grids creates a persistent, layered barrier protecting critical national infrastructure and the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent.
3. **Deepening UK-Norwegian Industrial Interoperability**: Combining Norwegian maritime autonomy with British combat-system integration reinforces bilateral defense ties under the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), establishing a unified technological approach to sub-surface surveillance across Northern Europe.
