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from
https://lynnwoodtimes.com/2025/08/01/kongsberg-auv/

Kongsberg to begin AUV manufacturing in US for the first time, right in
the heart of Lynnwood

Kienan Briscoe
August 1, 2025
LYNNWOOD—Norwegian company Kongsberg Discovery has decided to
manufacture its HUGIN Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) in the United
States, beginning at its existing facility in the heart of Lynnwood.
This is the first time Kongsberg will be manufacturing AUVs outside of Scandinavia.

Kongsberg AUV
Rep. Rick Larsen (right) speaking with Jake Sobin (2nd from right),
Director of Government Relations for Kongsberg, Puget Sound, about the
HUGIN program in front of one of the HUGIN’s models. HUGIN is on of the world’s most successful Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). Lynnwood
Times | Kienan Broscoe.

AUV’s are free-swimming, electric, vessels preprogrammed with a specific mission in mind. HUGIN collects data from many different sensors
concurrently, providing a comprehensive geophysical dataset from a
single mission up to 6,000 meters (nearly 20,000 feet) below the ocean’s surface. They can be (and are) used for a variety of different services
from naval, to fish finding, to seafloor mapping, to ocean science, to communications, and more.

Approximately 50% of Kongsberg’s customer base is in the military but
its products are also often used by ocean scientists and researchers.

AHUGIN has a battery life beginning at 24-hours and stretching into 15
days, depending on model, and can travel up to 4 knots. The different
HUGIN models include the Endurance, the Superior, the HUGIN 3000 and
6000, respectively, and the HUGIN Edge.

Kongsberg’s Washington manufacturing will assemble models as large as
the HUGIN Superior in Lynnwood and supply the U.S. as well as Norway.
While manufacturing is set to begin in Lynnwood Kongsberg hopes to
secure a new manufacturing site (ideally on the Puget Sound) at a later
date.

According to Jake Sobin, Director of Government Relations for Kongsberg,
Puget Sound, of all places, was chosen as the ideal location – outside
of Norway – for its similar waters to the Norwegian Sea, where several
fjords mimic the Sound and its various islands. The temperature, depth,
and sheltered water are also similar.

However, the Norwegian manufacturer has met some hurdles from the U.S.
Federal Government lately that have set them back from obtaining that
mission – specifically with potential changes to International Traffic
in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by the Department of State.

For example, a proposed amendment to the U.S. Munitions List (USML) will significantly impact U.S.-based civilian operations of deep-water
autonomous underwater vehicles by imposing restrictive weight and
endurance thresholds.


Kongsberg AUV
Rep. Rick Larsen (center) touring the Kongsberg Discovery facility in
Lynnwood on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Lynnwood Times | Kienan Broscoe.
On Thursday, July 31, Representative Rick Larsen (D-02) visited
Kongsberg’s facility in Lynnwood to hear some of these challenges firsthand.

One of the requests Kongsberg had Thursday was for Rep. Larsen to secure funding for the project, as contracts can be “sporadic or not properly funded,” the company said, which can hinder commercial investments in increased manufacturing.


After meeting with Kongsberg Executives, Larsen was given a tour of the facility to see products up close and learn about just how the HUGIN
innovates maritime and military technology.

About Kongsberg Discovery

Kongsberg has been a leader in Norwegian industry since being founded by
Poul Steenstrup in 1814 as a rifle factory arming the Norwegian Armed
Forces. For years Kongsberg produced innovative arms for Norway, and
other countries, throughout various conflicts – including the First
World War, the Spanish Civil War, and the Second World War.


By the 1950’s Kongsberg was no longer under military command and the Norwegian Parliament approved a largescale modernization of the company,
to meet the military needs of the Norwegian Armed Forces while
contributing technological innovations to NATO.

In the 1970’s the discovery of oil in the North Sea prompted a shift to maritime. By fusing with existing echo sounder and automation systems
companies Simrad and Norcontrol, Kongsberg was able to begin making
significant contributions to the maritime and petroleum sectors.

In 1987 Kongsberg split into different divisions that had specific responsibilities for producing car parts, aircraft parts, gas turbines,
oil installations, maritime equipment, drawing machines and defense
material. However, these divisions, though innovative, were no longer profitable so the Norwegian government – which up until this point had
owned the company – sold the divisions to the public (apart from the
defense division which later became the Norwegian Defense Technology).


In 1997, KONGSBERG brought its operations together through the
subsidiaries Kongsberg Maritime AS and Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace
AS. By 2008 these became: Kongsberg Maritime, Kongsberg Defense and
Aerospace and Kongsberg Digital.


Though Kongsberg has supported U.S. Department of Defense for 130 years,
and Naval missions for over 30 years, it opened its Lynnwood location in
1991 specializing in the integration of underwater acoustic systems and unscrewed platforms.

For years Kongsberg Lynnwood has operated with a team of just 30
employees but a big onboarding in 2023 saw that staff number double.

Kongsberg AUV
Rep. Rick Larsen (left) with the staff of Kongsberg Discovery at its
Lynnwood facility on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Lynnwood Times | Kienan
Broscoe.
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Times, and other top stories from July 31, 2025.

READ MORE

Kienan Briscoe
Author: Kienan Briscoe

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