NATO has selected Swedish defense company Saab to lead a multinational effort to build a new underwater mission network linking allied naval forces.
Under the Allied Underwater Battlespace Mission Network (AUWB-MN) project, the “Mangrove” consortium will design a reference architecture and a test environment for a system that connects manned and unmanned maritime platforms above, on, and below the water.
NATO expects the network to enable rapid, secure information sharing and cross-domain integration, improving coordination in joint operations.
The AUWB-MN project was awarded last July under the alliance’s Digital Ocean and Antisubmarine Warfare Barrier Smart Defence Initiative, which is backed by 12 nations led by the UK, along with Sweden, the US, and Germany.
Each country has committed to adopting the standard once completed.
Saab’s Kockums unit will head the consortium, which also includes Cetena and IDS of Italy’s Fincantieri Group, FlySight, GraalTech, Miraya, Saab UK, BlueBear, S2IX, and the University of Plymouth.
‘Critical Contribution’
NATO considers the underwater domain increasingly significant as rival states expand submarine capabilities and undersea surveillance systems.
The AUWB-MN is intended to become part of NATO’s long-term approach to boosting antisubmarine warfare and secure maritime routes.
Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s business area Kockums, said the Mangrove consortium will spend the next 12 months developing a mission network to support NATO’s underwater operations.
“As all aspects of the underwater domain grow in their strategic significance, this will be a critical contribution to our collective maritime security and defence,” he stated.
