Semi-autonomous craft from Saab ordered by U.S. Navy for Kuwait forces
NewsDecember 12, 2023
LINKÖPING, Sweden. Saab won a contract with the U.S. Navy to provide a Double Eagle semi-autonomous remotely operated vehicle (SAROV) for the naval forces of Kuwait.
According to the contract announcement, the Double Eagle ROV system is already used by naval forces in a number of countries to support mine countermeasure (MCM) missions. In the SAROV configuration, the company says, the vehicle can be used both as an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for detection, classification, and identification and as an ROV for mine disposal.
The ROVs can be launched from any type of ship, from the shore, or from another, smaller, craft; the Double Eagle measures 3 meters (9.84 feet) long and can be housed in a standard container.
The company says that although the SAROV was developed and produced at Saab in Sweden, this most recent sale -- the U.S. Navy is procuring this system as a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for Kuwait’s naval force -- is actually a milestone in expanding the production of this Swedish technology to the U.S.
Saab's Autonomous and Undersea Systems Division, which has offices in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, will produce parts of this system in close collaboration with other production sites in Sweden, the U.K., and Denmark.
