Saab has been awarded a contract by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to develop a large autonomous underwater vehicle.

Known as Large Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle (LUUV), the vehicle will be a sensor platform equipped with various capabilities.

According to Saab, the LUUV will conduct its maiden sea trials in the summer of 2026.

The contract is valued at Skr60m ($6.3m) and the project will be spearheaded by FMV.

As the primary contractor, Saab's responsibilities encompass the design, construction, and testing phases of the LUUV.

Saab has said that it will integrate its Autonomous Ocean Core into the vehicle’s systems. The control system is designed to provide vessels with advanced autonomous capabilities both when cruising on and beneath the water's surface.

Saab Kockums business area head Mats Wicksell said: "It is gratifying that together with FMV and the Swedish Armed Forces, we have the opportunity to work quickly and together to develop a new advanced system in a short time. At Saab we get to demonstrate our ability to deliver systems that are both effective and adapted to current and future challenges.

“The project makes it possible to create innovative solutions that can bring significant progress in underwater technology and fit well with Saab's already ongoing development work in autonomy."

Saab noted the increased requirement for critical tasks such as the monitoring and mapping of seabed infrastructure, along with detecting and neutralising underwater threats.

The LUUV will aid in operational decision-making, and it will not feature weapon systems during its initial development phase, said the company.

In December 2024, the company was contracted by FMV to provide autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) specifically designed for mine countermeasure’s operations.

The AUV62-MR is designed for executing mine countermeasures in challenging environments where endurance and autonomous functionality are critical to operational success, said Saab.