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Polish Kormoran II-Class Minehunters to Obtain Underwater Drones

Remontowa Shipbuilding has awarded Kongsberg Maritime a 10-million-euro ($9.8 million) contract to deliver its underwater drones for three Polish Navy Kormoran II-class mine countermeasure vessels.

Under the agreement, Kongsberg will supply three HUGIN Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) systems and related HiPAP sub-surface positioning and communication systems.

The HUGIN AUV is a free-swimming drone that offers high-accuracy stabilization and maneuverability. It can survey and search depths up to 6,000 meters (19,700 feet).

Meanwhile, HiPAP supports the drone with real-time communication and on-mission replanning while providing high-precision underwater navigation.

“These latest contracts are a true acknowledgment of a team effort over many years, and it shows that Kongsberg Maritime offers the right technology and solutions for the growing AUV market,” Kongsberg Maritime SVP Stene Førsund said.

Bolstering Poland’s National Security

The order is expected to be delivered over the next four years to match the first Kormoran II turnover schedule. The three minehunters will be commissioned from 2026 to 2027.

“These mine countermeasure vessels represent an important contract for Remontowa Shipbuilding as well as an important statement and reinforcement of Poland’s national security in a fast-changing world,” Remontowa Shipbuilding CCO Dariusz Jaguszewski said.

“Kongsberg Maritime has already successfully delivered and commissioned HUGIN and HiPAP systems to us for the first three vessels in the Kormoran II program.”

Once deployed, Kormoran II minehunters will operate in Poland’s exclusive economic zone along with task forces in the Baltic and North Seas.

Each ship in the class has a load displacement of 850 tonnes, a length of 58.5 meters (192 feet), and a 45-crew capacity.

Arming Kormoran II Vessels

In September, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa signed a 100 million Polish złoty ($21 million) contract to supply naval weapons for the Kormoran II-class vessels.

The contract covers the company’s OSU-35K remote-controlled gun with AM-35K automatic cannon along with an infrared laser warhead, fire control system block, and fire control station.

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