Arctic Hunter USV pitched for Type 92 ASW requirement as part of RN's Hybrid Fleet

The Arctic Hunter USV integrates a Thales communications suite and sonar package with a commercial ship design and Kongsberg Maritime's remote and autonomous technology. (Kongsberg Maritime)

Norwegian maritime technology company Kongsberg Maritime has revealed a new anti-submarine warfare (ASW)-configured unmanned surface vessel (USV) concept designed to address the Type 92 requirement associated with the Royal Navy's Hybrid Navy force design.

Known as Arctic Hunter, the proposed solution marries proven commercial ship design with Kongsberg Maritime's remote and autonomous technology, plus ASW sonar and communications systems provided by Thales UK. First details of the proposed solution – which Kongsberg Maritime claims could be delivered before 2030 – were released on 9 November 2026, coincident with the Atlantic Future Forum conference in Oslo.

Enshrined in the Defence Investment Plan laid out by the UK government in June 2026, the Hybrid Navy concept envisages a mix of crewed, unmanned, and increasingly autonomous ships, submarines, and aircraft operating as an integrated force. The RN's current force model envisages a hybrid fleet comprising Type 91 unmanned missile platforms, Type 92 unmanned underwater sense platforms, Type 93 extra-large unmanned underwater vessels, Type 94 unmanned radar platforms, and a future class of crewed Common Combat Vessel.

Type 92, which has also been described as an uncrewed ‘ASW sloop', is seen as a critical part of the broader ‘Atlantic Bastion' operating concept. ‘Atlantic Bastion' is designed to protect the continuous at-sea deterrent and critical national infrastructure in the north Atlantic/High North region through the deployment of new anti-submarine warfare capabilities, autonomous sub-surface systems, and a layered sensor network.