Danish military using robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North seas
From a distance they look almost like ordinary sailboats, their sails emblazoned with the red-and-white flag of Denmark.
But these 10-meter (30-foot) -long vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance.
Four uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as "Voyagers," have been put into service by Denmark's armed forces for a three-month operational trial.
Built by Alameda, California-based company Saildrone, the vessels will patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North Seas, where maritime tensions and suspected sabotage have escalated sharply since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.
Two of the Voyagers launched Monday from Koge Marina, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Danish capital, Copenhagen.
Powered by wind and solar energy, these sea drones can operate autonomously for months at sea. Saildrone says the vessels carry advanced sensor suites - radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar and acoustic monitoring.
Their launch comes after two others already joined a NATO patrol on June 6.
Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins compared the vessels to a "truck" that carries sensors and uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to give a "full picture of what's above and below the surface" to about 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 kilometers) in the open ocean.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Play Chess on Your PC, Free
Play Classic Chess
Install Now
Undo
He said that maritime threats like damage to undersea cables, illegal fishing and the smuggling of people, weapons and drugs are going undetected simply because "no one's observing it."
Saildrone, he said, is "going to places ... where we previously didn't have eyes and ears."
The Danish Defense Ministry says the trial is aimed at boosting surveillance capacity in under-monitored waters, especially around critical undersea infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables and power lines.
"The security situation in the Baltic is tense," said Lt. Gen. Kim Jorgensen, the director of Danish National Armaments at the ministry. "They're going to cruise Danish waters, and then later they're going to join up with the two that are on (the) NATO exercise. And then they'll move from area to area within the Danish waters."
The trial comes as NATO confronts a wave of damage to maritime infrastructure - including the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions and the rupture of at least 11 undersea cables since late 2023.
The most recent incident, in January, severed a fiber-optic link between Latvia and Sweden's Gotland island.
The trial also unfolds against a backdrop of trans-Atlantic friction - with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration threatening to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to Denmark, a NATO member. Trump has said he wouldn't rule out military force to take Greenland.
Jenkins, the founder of Saildrone, noted that his company had already planned to open its operation in Denmark before Trump was reelected.
He didn't want to comment on the Greenland matter, insisting the company isn't political.
Some of the maritime disruptions have been blamed on Russia's so-called shadow fleet - aging oil tankers operating under opaque ownership to avoid sanctions. One such vessel, the Eagle S, was seized by Finnish police in December for allegedly damaging a power cable between Finland and Estonia with its anchor.
Western officials accuse Russia of behind behind a string of hybrid war attacks on land and at sea.
Amid these concerns, NATO is moving to build a layered maritime surveillance system combining uncrewed surface vehicles like the Voyagers with traditional naval ships, satellites and seabed sensors.
"The challenge is that you basically need to be on the water all the time, and it's humongously expensive," said Peter Viggo Jakobsen of the Royal Danish Defense College. "It's simply too expensive for us to have a warship trailing every single Russian ship, be it a warship or a civilian freighter of some kind."
"We're trying to put together a layered system that will enable us to keep constant monitoring of potential threats, but at a much cheaper level than before," he added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
9 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Cracker Barrel new logo row: Why Lebanon-based chain is facing backlash; CEO responds
Cracker Barrel, famous Lebanon-based restaurant chain, is facing severe backlash on social media over its new logo and menu updates. On Wednesday, the chain announced the changes, saying the new logo is 'now rooted even more closely to the iconic barrel shape and word mark that started it all'. This is the first time in 48 years that the Cracker Barrel logo will be text-only with no images. Cracker Barrel has changed its logo(Cracker Barrel) The chain, which opened in 1969, had a logo with just text before, but in 1977, it updated the image to show a man resting by the barrel. In a press release, Cracker Barrel noted that 'farm fresh scrambled eggs and buttermilk biscuits' were the inspiration behind the color palette in the new campaign. The company is running an 'All the More' campaign that 'positions the iconic American brand for the future'. 'We believe in the goodness of country hospitality, a spirit that has always defined us. Our story hasn't changed. Our values haven't changed. With 'All the More,' we're honoring our legacy while bringing fresh energy, thoughtful craftsmanship and heartfelt hospitality to our guests this fall,' Sarah Moore, chief marketing officer of Cracker Barrel, said in a statement. However, social media backlash followed the makeover. 'The CEO of Cracker Barrel is as woke as they come. She is destroying a once great American brand,' pro-Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. 'This logo is depressing,' another person added. 'Now why would they remove the cracker & the barrel?' a third one tweeted. Cracker Barrel CEO responds The CEO of the company, Julie Felss Masino, explained the changes in an interview with Good Morning America. 'People like what we're doing. Cracker Barrel needs to feel like the Cracker Barrel for today and for tomorrow -- the things that you love are still there. We need people to choose us, and we want people to choose us,' she said. Masino added that at a recent on-site meeting in Florida, the 'No 1 question I got asked was, 'How can I get a remodel, when can I get a remodel and how do I get on the list?'"
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
Shocking twist: Computer Science grads face one of the highest unemployment rates today
Gen Z unemployment rate 2025 college grads : You'd think that with all the buzz around tech and coding, computer science grads would be flying off the job market, right? Well, not exactly. Surprisingly, recent data shows that computer science majors are actually struggling more than you might expect, with one of the highest unemployment rates among college degrees. Computer Science Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.1% The Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that, 6.1% of computer science grads are out of work, which puts the degree in seventh place for majors with the most unemployment, as per a Newsweek report. This is ranked right after top majors like physics with 7.8% unemployment rate and anthropology with 9.4% unemployment rate for those who graduated in between 2023 and the recent college graduates, according to the report. Even computer engineering, which at many schools is the same as computer science, had a 7.5% unemployment rate, as reported by Newsweek. ALSO READ: As the July jobs report paints a grim picture, 114 companies plan layoffs in August - is yours on the list? by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Remember Him? Sit Down Before You See What He Looks Like Now 33 Bridges Undo Tech Industry Slowdown Hits New Computer Science Grads the Hardest A few years ago, tech was booming during the COVID-19 pandemic, and everyone rushed to learn to code, as per the report. But now, with giants like Amazon and Google cutting jobs to boost profits and the market for new computer science grads isn't what it used to be, according to the Newsweek report. Finance expert and the founder of Michael Ryan, told Newsweek that, "Every kid with a laptop thinks they're the next Zuckerberg, but most can't debug their way out of a paper bag... We created a gold rush mentality around coding right as the gold ran out. Companies are cutting engineering budgets by 40 percent while CS enrollment hits record highs. It's basic economics. Flood the market, crater the wages," as quoted in the report. Live Events ALSO READ: Apple Watch SE 3 leaks spill major upgrades — and fans can't stop buzzing about what's coming Best College Majors for Employment in 2025 Aren't in Tech Even though computer science is often listed as a top major for college students, ranking as number one by the Princeton Review for college majors, the reality is that many graduates are facing a tough job market, as per the Newsweek report. While majors like nutrition sciences, construction services and civil engineering currently have some of the lowest unemployment rates, which are between 1% to as low as 0.4%, as per the report. Gen Z Unemployment on the Rise as Job Market Tightens HR consultant Bryan Driscoll pointed out that, "The problem is the system. We've overproduced degrees without addressing how exploitative and gatekept the tech hiring pipeline has become," adding, "Entry-level roles are vanishing, unpaid internships are still rampant, and companies are offshoring or automating the very jobs these grads trained for," as quoted in the Newsweek report. ALSO READ: August Social Security payment 2025: When you'll get your money this month and how much to expect However, it's not just the tech world struggling as the overall unemployment for recent college grads is rising, according to Newsweek. The unemployment in Gen Z households rose 32% year over year in February, and the unemployment rate for recent college graduates increased 5.8% in March from 4.6% last year, as per Federal Reserve Bank of New York data. FAQs Why are computer science grads unemployed? There are too many graduates and not enough entry-level roles. Plus, many companies are cutting jobs. What's the unemployment rate for CS majors? According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, it's 6.1%.
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
Anticipating GST changes, Ludhiana industry wants reforms expedited.
Ludhiana: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled what he called a "Diwali gift", major reforms to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), industrial and trade bodies are expressing cautious optimism. While they welcome the simplification, stakeholders insist that swift implementation, especially of refunds, is essential to prevent disruptions and revive consumption. In his August 15 Independence Day address, PM Modi revealed plans to overhaul GST by October, aimed at easing the tax burden on daily-use items and MSMEs. The long-standing four-slab system (5%, 12%, 18%, 28%) is being anticipated to be replaced by a streamlined two-slab structure with rates of 5% and 18%, and a special 40% rate on sin and luxury goods like tobacco and pan masala, as per reports of proposal having been sent to the group of ministers (GoM) and state finance ministers, ahead of the GST council's meeting. Industrialists and businessmen of Ludhiana expect that this reform could boost domestic consumption, exports, and market sentiment. "The prospect of two main GST rates are welcome, but delayed refunds could cripple operations. If we must wait for GST refunds on expenditure on raw materials, it's going to be tough," Avtar Singh Bhogal, vice-president, UCPMA, said, stressing that timely refunds would support purchasing power and curtail GST evasion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's Daughter Shiloh Now Goes by a New Name After Dropping Pitt BigGlobalTravel Undo Upkar Singh Ahuja, president of the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU), echoed the urgency. He warned that markets were already slow and showed signs of recession, with consumers delaying purchases in anticipation of GST relief. "Whatever changes are to be done, do them now, not wait until Diwali," he urged. "People are have stopped purchasing on big items anticipating lower GST and, thus, prices," he said. There have been long-standing industry demands for GST simplification, Harsimarjit Singh Lucky, UCMPA president said. He added that reforms would bring relief that would curtail evasion and simplify compliance. Sonu Nilibar, president of the Punjab Textile Merchant Association, said "A uniform 5% GST rate on garments would be a landmark reform. It will bring much-needed clarity, make goods affordable, boost consumption, and ease compliance. On behalf of trade, I warmly thank Prime Minister Modi for considering this long-awaited reform." Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
