Saab and MANGROVE Consortium to lead on NATO’s AUWB-MN

The MANGROVE Consortium, which is a group of nine defence companies led by Saab, has been selected by NATO to lead on the development of the Allied Underwater Battlespace Mission Network project (AUWB-MN), according to a September 19 press release from Saab. 

The project formally commenced on September 1, and was reportedly announced during DSEI on September 10. The most recent press release states that the project is set to last for 12 months and will design “a Reference Architecture and a Test and Reference Environment for a mission network that leverages both crewed and uncrewed  systems, above, on and below the water.” 

A mission network, in this context, is the communication architecture that is used to share data between platforms and across domains. It also crosses into policy, procedures, technology, and standards. David Burton, Director of NATO’s Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Barrier Smart Defence Initiative wrote the following on the AUWB-MN in a NATO publication from June 2021:

“It will exploit both acoustic communication and more novel techniques to provide:

• Reliable underwater communications
• Interfaces to above-water terrestrial and satellite communications utilizing radio frequencies and other innovative communication bearers
• Effective command and control delivery
• And the conduit for data-harvesting, data fusion and data exploitation.”

He added that publishing the standards for the reference architecture was “fundamental to accelerating underwater capability delivery and guiding nations and industry to ensure that they design-in interoperability from the outset.” The standards were also referred to as the backbone of any future maritime unmanned systems capability for NATO. 

“All of the MANGROVE consortium’s expertise and collaborative focus for the next 12 months will be on the successful development of a mission network for NATO’s operations in the underwater battlespace,” Mats Wicksell, head of Saab’s business area Kockums, said in the press release. 

By 2024, it appears that NATO had received 18 white papers from the defence industry on delivering the AUWB-MN, and was expecting invitation to tender responses by March 2025. The project is seen as a critical component of NATO’s Digital Ocean and Antisubmarine Warfare Barrier Smart Defence Initiative, with 12 sponsor nations. AUWB-MN predates the Digital Ocean Initiative, which “was launched in 2023 to enhance NATO’s maritime situational awareness from seabed to space. It aims to transform Allied maritime domain awareness by improving coordination between national and Allied capabilities employed for maritime surveillance. This includes satellites and autonomous systems that operate below, on, and above the sea.”

The 12 sponsor nations have agreed to adopt the standards that result from the AUWB-MN and the MANGROVE Consortium’s work. In theory, this should mean that Saab’s forthcoming large uncrewed underwater vehicle (LUUV), should be able to communicate with other NATO LUUVs, potentially including the selected solution for the UK’s Project CABOT. The 12 sponsor nations are the UK, together with Sweden, the US, Australia, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway.

A range of companies are already positioning themselves for CABOT, including Helsing with its SG-1 Fathom and SEA with its KraitSense towed array sonar. CABOT is also badged as an element of the Digital Ocean Initiative. It aims to provide a persistent sensor capability that can detect and track Russian submarines. The ability to pass data between domains using a widely accepted interoperability standard would presumably improve the Project’s ability to accurately track Russian submarines by increasing the flow of information. 

Company profiles: The MANGROVE Consortium

The MANGROVE Consortium is led by Saab Kockums, a business area of the Swedish defence company Saab AB, specialising in the design, production, and in-service support of naval military systems. It is headquartered in Malmö, Sweden. Its core business is the development and maintenance of advanced naval platforms and its product portfolio includes submarines like the A26 Blekinge-class submarine being built for the Swedish Navy as well as surface vessels like the CB90. Brief profiles for the other consortium members are provided below.

• CETENA: Based in Italy, CETENA is a Fincantieri Group subsidiary specialising in naval technical studies. It focuses on research and development for naval and marine applications, contributing to advancements in shipbuilding and underwater technologies.
• FlySight: This Italian company specialises in Decision Support Systems for the defence and security sectors. Their expertise lies in developing command, control, and intelligence systems that use AI and data fusion for real-time situational awareness in air, naval, and underwater domains.
• GraalTech: GraalTech is an Italian company that develops and commercialises mechatronic systems for underwater applications. It provides configurable robotic solutions and R&D support for sectors including defence, security, and oceanography.
• IDS: An Italian company with a significant UK presence, IDS (Ingegneria Dei Sistemi) focuses on electromagnetic engineering services, particularly for the naval defence market. They also provide solutions related to unmanned aerial systems and radar technology for security and defence.
• Miraya: Based in Sweden, Miraya specialises in data-driven reconstruction and analysis to provide decision support for military operations. The company’s technology helps transform raw data into operational knowledge for the planning and management of autonomous systems in complex environments.
• Saab UK and BlueBear: Saab UK, a subsidiary of the Swedish defence company Saab, acquired the UK-based company BlueBear. Together, they work as an agile systems integrator for robotic and autonomous systems in air, land, and sea, with a focus on collaborative, AI-enabled swarms.
• S2IX: S2IX is an Australian company that developed a secure information management and interoperability platform for defence and security organisations. Its platform is designed to facilitate dynamic data sharing across different domains and agencies in a secure and near-real-time manner.
• SubSeaPulse: Based in Italy, SubSeaPulse is a spin-off company of the University of Padova that develops wireless telecommunication technologies for underwater applications. Their work includes custom solutions for marine monitoring and environmental sensing.
• University of Plymouth: Located in the UK, the university has world-leading research expertise in advanced marine technologies. It focuses on marine autonomy, maritime cyber security, and environmental intelligence, contributing to the UK’s defence and security priorities.

Calibre comment

If the AUWB-MN can be successfully developed and delivered, it could provide a meaningful increase in capability. ASW is a difficult task that requires many resources and passing a track from one platform to another can be challenging. Linking platforms through a common network and data backbone should provide the grounds for improved data fusion and better tracks of Russian submarines. 

 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on September 20, 2025.