The Government of Norway recently showcased the capabilities of its Hugin Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to high-ranking U.S. Navy officials and others at a one-day international event sponsored by NATO. The Hugin AUV demonstration on 20 April was part of the "Transforming Maritime and Environmental Security Safety: Approaches from NATO, Norway and the USA" conference held 20 April in Norfolk, VA. The 200-300 attendees included USN Secretary Gordon England, Norwegian Minister of Defence Kristin Krohn Devoid, and Knut Vollebaek, Norway's ambassador to the USA. Per Espen Hagen, principal scientist with the Maritime Systems Div. of FFI, the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, said the event demonstrated that the Hugin AUV developed to counter the threat from sea mines is also adept at other missions, including rapid environmental assessment (REA), meteorology and oceanography (METOC), route survey, and bathymetric mapping.
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