The design of TKMS’ Modifiable Underwater Mothership (MUM), an autonomous uncrewed mothership for smaller UUVs, has been approved by industry regulator DNV.
As per a company press statement, the MUM demonstrator’s design and development has been granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) is the world’s largest maritime classification society, which sets technical standards for the design, construction, and operation of ships and offshore structures.
The dual-use MUM prototype is expected to enter the water for the first time later in 2026 and commence a testing programme.
The MUM has been conceived as a scalable, modular underwater platform whose individual modules can function independently. These modules can be configured, transported, and assembled via standard shipping containers.
The MUM is designed to work in deep-sea and Arctic environments and handle complex tasks such as servicing offshore wind farms, and oil and gas platforms.
As well as commercial applications, its modular payloads could facilitate monitoring critical undersea infrastructure (CUI) via sonar arrays and hydrophones, and conceivably even include aerial drone launch cells and kinetic defence payloads.
The TKMS statement noted: “The scalable demonstrator, measuring 25 metres in length and 7 metres in width… will be tested in specially developed scenarios.”
Its Head of Submarines Operating Unit Christian Rogge, commented: “Compliance with class rules is considered one of the most challenging hurdles in the development of autonomous maritime systems.
“The AiP thus marks an important milestone that confirms the expertise of our teams across engineering, production, and project management, and lays the foundation for an entire generation of autonomous unmanned watercraft from TKMS.”
- You can read more details about the MUM on the TKMS website