184-foot converted fishing vessel could become uncrewed submarine hunter

Norwegian maritime technology company Kongsberg Maritime has unveiled an uncrewed surface vessel designed to help the Royal Navy detect submarines in the increasingly contested waters of the Arctic and North Atlantic.

Called Arctic Hunter, the vessel adapts a commercial fishing ship design with autonomous navigation technology and submarine-hunting sensors, offering a potentially faster and less expensive way to expand Britain’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Unveiled on November 9, 2026, Arctic Hunter is being proposed for the Royal Navy’s Type 92 requirement, part of Britain’s planned hybrid fleet of crewed and uncrewed naval platforms.

Kongsberg is working with Thales UK on sonar and military communications, while shipbuilding partner Balaena Maritime is expected to construct the vessels at its Birkenhead yard if the proposal is selected.

The company plans to have ships ready for military integration and operational deployment by the end of the decade.

A commercial fishing vessel becomes a submarine hunter

Rather than designing an entirely new military ship, Kongsberg has selected an existing Arctic commercial vessel design as the foundation for Arctic Hunter. The proposed platform is based on a 56-meter (184-foot) fishing vessel hull, originally developed for demanding North Atlantic and Arctic conditions.

The conversion replaces the vessel’s fishing and processing equipment with remote-control systems, autonomous technologies and military mission equipment. Its substantial internal volume and deck space also allow additional sensors and payloads to be installed as operational requirements change.

The vessel is designed to operate without a crew aboard, with Kongsberg proposing missions lasting up to 60 days at sea. It would operate from a forward support base inside the Arctic Circle, providing persistent submarine-detection coverage alongside crewed warships and other surveillance platforms.

An important part of the design is reducing the vessel’s underwater acoustic signature. Machinery and propeller noise can interfere with sensitive sonar equipment, making a quiet operating platform essential for submarine detection. Kongsberg says it is optimizing the hull and propulsion system to reduce underwater noise.

How Arctic Hunter could detect submarines

The proposed vessel will carry Thales UK’s submarine-hunting sonar and secure military communications. Reporting by The War Zone identifies the planned sensor as the Sonar 2087, a towed-array sonar already used by Royal Navy Type 23 frigates and intended for the newer Type 26 fleet.

A towed-array sonar consists of sensitive hydrophones housed in a long cable deployed behind a vessel. These sensors listen for underwater acoustic signals, including noise produced by submarine machinery and propulsion systems.

Unlike active sonar, which sends out sound pulses and analyzes their echoes, passive sonar listens without transmitting signals. This can help naval forces detect and track submarines while limiting the risk of revealing their own position.

By carrying this equipment on an uncrewed platform, the Royal Navy could distribute submarine-detection sensors across a wider area without assigning an additional crewed warship to every surveillance task. The resulting information could be transmitted to other naval assets for further assessment and coordinated operations.

Part of Britain’s hybrid naval strategy

Arctic Hunter is being proposed for the Royal Navy’s Type 92 program, which forms part of its broader Hybrid Navy concept. The approach combines traditional crewed warships with uncrewed surface vessels, underwater systems and autonomous platforms.

The initiative is closely connected to the UK’s Atlantic Bastion strategy, which aims to strengthen surveillance and protection of critical undersea infrastructure and monitor submarine activity across the North Atlantic and High North.

The UK and Norway have also committed to expanding cooperation in autonomous maritime systems through the Lunna House Agreement, which identifies the High North as a priority for joint defense development.

However, Arctic Hunter remains an industry proposal rather than an operational Royal Navy vessel. Its selection for Type 92, final configuration, and procurement quantities have not been announced.

If adopted, the design could offer the Royal Navy a way to expand its underwater surveillance network using commercially built ships equipped with specialized military sensors. Rather than replacing frigates and other anti-submarine platforms, Arctic Hunter is intended to give them more persistent sensing coverage across some of NATO’s most strategically important waters.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/military/kongsberg-arctic-hunter-submarine-drone