Industrial Automation Expanded Through Strategic Underwater Systems Partnership

KONGSBERG and DRASS have entered into a strategic partnership to address evolving defense needs in the maritime sector. The cooperation is driven by a growing demand for advanced underwater intelligence systems, specifically within sensing and robotics. This shift requires a new generation of highly autonomous underwater vehicles. The partnership is designed to combine the complementary industrial strengths, technical expertise, and operational experience of both organizations to develop advanced underwater solutions.

Technical Solution and Functional Responsibilities
The technical solution establishes an exchange of technologies, systems, payloads, and operational architectures. The distribution of responsibilities leverages the maritime expertise unique to each partner. KONGSBERG provides capabilities in navigation systems, autonomous underwater vehicles, sonar, sensors, and systems integration. DRASS delivers technologies including large subsea platforms, pressure-tolerant battery modules, compact I.R./optronic periscopes, and payload integration. Collectively, these solutions create an integration bridge connecting the compact submarines and manned underwater systems of DRASS with the unmanned surface vehicles and conventional unmanned underwater vehicles of KONGSBERG. The joint development targets highly capable, scalable, and interoperable underwater systems.

Deployment and Industrial Impact
The deployment strategy leverages joint development to advance interoperable underwater platforms and establish a unique operational environment. This operational scope encompasses assets and technologies designed for littoral waters and beyond. The architecture integrates unmanned underwater vehicles, maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance solutions, and manned-unmanned teaming capabilities. By utilizing the broad spectrum of assets from both companies, the collaboration is structured to accelerate industrial progress in the emerging field of autonomous and manned underwater systems.

Strategic Rationale
"Our goal is to develop highly capable, scalable, and interoperable underwater systems that meet changing operational and defense needs. This includes unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) solutions, and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T)," says Espen Henriksen, Senior Vice President Uncrewed Platforms at KONGSBERG.

"These jointly developed solutions will create an integration bridge between DRASS’s compact submarines and manned underwater systems, and KONGSBERG’s unmanned surface vehicles and conventional UUVs. By leveraging our respective expertise—particularly through the joint development of KONGSBERG and DRASS unmanned vehicles —we can advance interoperable underwater platforms and accelerate progress in this emerging field. Through this partnership, we are creating a unique operational environment, encompassing the broadest spectrum of assets and technologies for littoral waters and beyond." — Sergio Cappelletti, CEO at DRASS.

Edited by Sucithra Mani, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

www.kongsberg.com