KONGSBERG Launches Aegir SSA Sonar Family

KONGSBERG has launched Aegir SSA (Subsea Situational Awareness), a new family of sonars designed to improve maritime security, safety and navigation through continuous underwater awareness. The range was unveiled at ONS 2026, the biennial Offshore Northern Seas energy exhibition held in Stavanger, Norway.

Aegir represents a new generation of commercial sonar solutions developed to meet the growing need for situational awareness around ports, critical infrastructure, coastal areas and offshore assets. Drawing on more than 80 years of sonar experience — a heritage that spans naval systems as well as the hydrographic survey market — the Norwegian technology group combines high-performance acoustic technology with compact form factors, simplified integration and scalable deployment options ranging from small uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and buoys to fixed installations and larger maritime platforms.

As part of the Aegir SSA concept, KONGSBERG offers an AI-powered virtual sonar operator service that enables operation without continuous human involvement. The AI can be configured for specific missions and trained by customers' own operators, allowing their operational knowledge to be retained and applied.

Addressing a growing need for underwater awareness

As maritime infrastructure becomes increasingly important to energy security, transportation, offshore operations and national resilience, operators require better visibility below the waterline. That requirement has sharpened in Europe since the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines and a series of subsequent incidents in which Baltic Sea telecom cables and a gas pipeline were damaged — events that have led the EU and NATO to intensify their focus on protecting critical undersea infrastructure.

Ports, harbours and coastal environments present unique challenges: high traffic density, shallow waters, drifting objects and potential unauthorized activity create risks that often remain hidden from conventional monitoring systems.

The Aegir family is designed to provide operators with actionable underwater awareness, enabling the detection, classification and tracking of objects and activities beneath the surface while supporting safer navigation and more informed decision-making.

"The underwater domain has become a critical operational environment for both commercial and government operators. With Aegir SSA, we are bringing KONGSBERG sonar expertise into a purpose-built product family designed to enhance security, safety and operational awareness in demanding maritime environments," said Helge Andre Sundt, VP Subsea Awareness, KONGSBERG.

Proven technology demonstrated in a live operational environment

As part of the launch, visitors to ONS will be able to view a live data feed from an operational Aegir SSA sonar installation located in the Oslofjord. The system is integrated on Fugro's SEAWATCH® buoy platform — Fugro is a Dutch geo-data specialist serving offshore and maritime markets — connected to the Oslofjord Testbed, combining persistent offshore monitoring, real-time data delivery and advanced subsea sensing to enhance protection of critical maritime infrastructure.

Collaboration supporting innovation

Ahead of the commercial launch, KONGSBERG collaborated with Fugro to deploy Aegir SSA on a SEAWATCH® buoy connected to the Oslofjord Testbed, demonstrating how fixed monitoring infrastructure can support continuous protection of critical maritime assets.

"As the need to protect critical undersea infrastructure continues to grow, operators need reliable and scalable monitoring solutions that provide continuous situational awareness. Combining KONGSBERG's new Aegir SSA sonar with Fugro's proven SEAWATCH® buoy platform creates an always-on monitoring solution that helps safeguard critical maritime assets while providing operators with actionable real-time intelligence for faster decision-making," said Hompe Heijmerink, Fugro's Director of Maritime Security and Surveillance for Europe and Africa.

Major contracts announced

Earlier this year, KONGSBERG announced two major contracts reflecting growing demand for integrated monitoring and protection of critical maritime infrastructure. One contract covers surveillance of Princess Elisabeth Island — Belgium's artificial energy island, under construction in the North Sea as a hub for offshore wind farms and international interconnectors — where KONGSBERG will deliver technologies including drone detection radar and vessel traffic services. The other, for an unnamed international customer, focuses on underwater surveillance and protection.

As part of KONGSBERG's wider portfolio, Aegir adds a dedicated subsea layer for persistent detection, classification and tracking around ports, offshore assets and other critical maritime sites. With the Oslofjord installation streaming live data and infrastructure-protection programmes expanding across European waters, the adoption of Aegir SSA at ports and offshore sites will be worth watching as operators look to extend monitoring below the waterline.

Source: KONGSBERG via Hellenic Shipping News, International Shipping News, 25/08/2026.