--- title: TKMS is the first company to receive an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an autonomous unmanned watercraft url: /news/article/tkms-is-the-first-company-to-receive-an-approval-in-principle-aip-for-an-autonomous-unmanned-watercraft description: According to the classification society DNV, the design and development of the MUM demonstrator (Modifiable Underwater Mothership) comply with the class… image: "https://tkmsgroup.com/fileadmin/_processed_/0/e/csm_MUM_Image_II_header_2007354457.jpeg" date: 2025-06-27 modified: 2025-10-15 type: article site: TKMS Group locale: en_GB.utf8 --- # TKMS is the first company to receive an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an autonomous unmanned watercraft TKMS is the first company to receive an Approval in Principle (AiP) for an autonomous unmanned watercraft =========================================================================================================== 07.05.26 ![](/fileadmin/_processed_/0/e/csm_MUM_Image_II_header_c9bb5a8ca7.jpeg) - According to the classification society DNV, the design and development of the MUM demonstrator (Modifiable Underwater Mothership) comply with the class rules for autonomous unmanned watercraft. - The AiP marks a groundbreaking milestone in the certification process for large autonomous unmanned watercrafts and lays the foundation for future projects and products. - The MUM2 research and development project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE). **Kiel, May 7, 2026** – TKMS reached a significant milestone in the field of autonomous unmanned watercrafts: DNV has granted the MUM demonstrator an Approval in Principle (AiP), thereby officially confirming that it was designed and developed in accordance with the DNV class rule “Underwater technology” and the DNV Class Guideline “Autonomous and remotely operated vessels.” TKMS is thus the first German company to have the design and development of an autonomous unmanned watercraft based on the class rules confirmed by an AiP. The scalable demonstrator, measuring 25 meters in length and 7 meters in width, is scheduled to set sail for the first time in 2026 and will be tested in specially developed scenarios. “*Among experts, 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 watercrafts from TKMS,”* says Christian Rogge, Head of the Submarines Operating Unit at TKMS. TKMS established structured communication with all relevant authorities at an early stage, thereby contributing significantly to the development of a crossagency approval process for autonomous unmanned watercrafts. Central to the process was the involvement of DNV as a recognized classification society, to which extensive design documentation was submitted for review. The granted AiP extends far beyond the MUM2 project and forms an important foundation for further projects involving autonomous unmanned watercrafts. TKMS is responsible for coordinating the MUM2 project consortium, which also includes EvoLogics GmbH, the University of Rostock, the Technical University of Berlin, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics (FKIE). With the demonstration test scheduled for late 2026, the project is entering its decisive phase. TKMS aims to consistently translate the insights gained into concrete customer programs, thereby advancing the readiness of nextgeneration autonomous unmanned watercrafts for series production. Downloads ----------- Press release PDF (63 KB) [ ](/fileadmin/website/news-and-press/2026/05_may/tkms_reaches_milestone_in_the_development_of_autonomous_underwater_technology/Press_Release_I_TKMS_Reaches_Milestone_in_the_Development_of_Autonomous_Underwater_Technology.pdf "Press_Release_I_TKMS_Reaches_Milestone_in_the_Development_of_Autonomous_Underwater_Technology.pdf") Pressemitteilung PDF (63 KB) [ ](/fileadmin/website/news-and-press/2026/05_may/tkms_reaches_milestone_in_the_development_of_autonomous_underwater_technology/Pressemitteilung_I_TKMS_erreicht_Meilenstein_bei_Entwicklung_autonomer_Unterwassertechnologie.pdf "Pressemitteilung_I_TKMS_erreicht_Meilenstein_bei_Entwicklung_autonomer_Unterwassertechnologie.pdf") ![](/fileadmin/website/news-and-press/2026/05_may/tkms_reaches_milestone_in_the_development_of_autonomous_underwater_technology/MUM_Image_I.png) PNG (9 MB) [ ](/fileadmin/website/news-and-press/2026/05_may/tkms_reaches_milestone_in_the_development_of_autonomous_underwater_technology/MUM_Image_I.png "MUM_Image_I.png") ![](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/1/csm_MUM_Image_II_80683dd6d9.png) PNG (10 MB) [ ](/fileadmin/website/news-and-press/2026/05_may/tkms_reaches_milestone_in_the_development_of_autonomous_underwater_technology/MUM_Image_II.png "MUM_Image_II.png") Contact for media ------------------- ![](/fileadmin/_processed_/0/1/csm_TKMS_Ettwig_Stefan1_square_9597acbb72.jpeg "Stefan Ettwig") ### Stefan Ettwig *Chief Communications Officer / Chief of Staff* - [ +49 431 700-4136 ](tel:+494317004136) - [stefan.ettwig(at)tkmsgroup.com](#) ![](/fileadmin/_processed_/d/2/csm_TKMS_Beyer__Nils_square_a6a3d1ba3d.jpg "Nils Beyer") ### Nils Beyer *Vice President External & Internal Communications* - [ +49 174 1613 587 ](tel:+491741613587) - [nils.beyer(at)tkmsgroup.com](#) ![](/fileadmin/_processed_/5/7/csm_TKMS_Gibbs_James_square_9eed3f9106.jpg "James Gibbs") ### James Gibbs *Senior Financial Communications Manager* - [ +49 151 16681663 ](tel:+4915116681663) - [james.gibbs(at)tkmsgroup.com](#)