NATO has commissioned MANGROVE, a consortium led by Saab, to design a mission network architecture aimed at unifying how allied forces share data and operate in the underwater domain.
Launched on Sept. 1, the Allied Underwater Battlespace Mission Network project, spearheaded by Saab’s Kockums business area, will develop a reference architecture and test environment to connect submarines, surface ships and uncrewed maritime systems. The 12-month initiative is part of NATO’s Digital Ocean and Antisubmarine Warfare Barrier program.
Mats Wicksell, senior vice president and head of Saab Kockums, emphasized that the effort is a crucial contribution to NATO’s collective maritime security and defense, especially as the underwater battlespace grows in strategic importance.
David Burton, who oversees NATO’s Antisubmarine Warfare Barrier initiative, said, “This is a significant step forward in modernizing our warfighting capabilities and ensuring NATO allies can operate together in the underwater domain.”
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The MANGROVE project builds upon recent NATO exercises, which demonstrated the integration of crewed and uncrewed platforms to enhance the collective ability to counter undersea threats. Rear Adm. Bret Grabbe, commander of NATO submarines, noted that combining submarines with unmanned systems provides a tactical advantage in high-threat, multi-domain environments.
Twelve countries — the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States, Australia, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway — are sponsoring the AUWB-MN project and have committed to adopting the resulting standards. Analysts believe this work could ensure that Saab’s upcoming large uncrewed underwater vehicle will be compatible with other NATO designs, including the U.K.’s Project CABOT.
The consortium includes shipbuilders, technology firms, and academic institutions, such as CETENA, IDS, FlySight, GraalTech, Miraya, BlueBear, S2IX and the University of Plymouth.