VIDEO: Vatn unveils SIGURD autonomous mine countermeasure system

Written by Nick Blenkey

SIGURD is a fully modular mine countermeasure system. {Photo; Vatn]

ristol, R.I.-based Vatn Systems, a defense technology startup founded in 2023 and focused on autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) has launched SIGURD a fully modular mine countermeasure system.

Designed to both detect and neutralize naval mines, SIGURD is built on Vatn’s Skelmir S6 AUV platform. According to the company, it is “the first all-in-one autonomous mine countermeasure system capable of tracking, detection, and terminal engagement at an unmatched price point that makes wide-scale deployment achievable”:

“Vatn Systems is on a mission to become the next underwater defense prime, and SIGURD is the latest proof that our platform can be rapidly configured to meet the most urgent threats operators face,” said Nelson Mills, co-founder and CEO of Vatn Systems. “The threat of mine deployment across critical maritime chokepoints has never been more real, and the window to field an affordable, scalable response is now. We have been encouraged by customer response, and the initial demand reflects the ongoing urgency.”

Strait of Hormuz may be “open,” but mines are still a danger

The launch of SIGURD comes as global demand for scalable, affordable mine countermeasures capability accelerates, particularly across the Indo-Pacific and in maritime chokepoints where undersea threats have increased sharply.

Vatn says it is positioned to deliver SIGURD systems at scale, with production capacity built to meet both near-term and long-term customer demand domestically and abroad. It says that SIGURD is already testing with government customers and that, In testing against inert mines, has successfully detected and intercepted targets, and the system is expected to be deployable this year.

“Mine countermeasures has long been one of the most challenging and under-resourced mission sets in naval warfare, and SIGURD is the solution the military needs – affordable and cost effective,” said Vatn Systems advisory board member VADM Phil Sawyer, USN (ret)., former Commander of the U.S, Seventh Fleet and former Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (N3/N5}

SIGURD is designed, tested, and verified by former Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians with extensive experience in mine countermeasures operations.

The system reflects Vatn’s vertically integrated approach to undersea defense, with the same platform, software stack, and command and control architecture used in the company’s broader AUV product line, now available with two payloads for mine countermeasures and upgraded software to support mine countermeasures. The system’s two modular components can be deployed independently or together as a complete end-to-end solution. The detection variant equips the S6 with a side scan sonar payload capable of detecting undersea mines at operational depths of up to 100 meters, with a roughly 6-hour run time and 30 nautical mile operational range.

The neutralization variant uses a forward-looking sensor system to execute terminal guidance on confirmed targets, with operators choosing between a fully autonomous engagement mode or a human-in-the-loop approach. Both variants integrate with Vatn’s proprietary TAK-based command and control interface.