Latest news with #GundbertScherf
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A European defense startup is making drone submarines that can lurk underwater for 3 months at a time
German defense tech startup Helsing is working on a fleet of AI-equipped underwater sea drones. It said they can operate for three-month stretches, with hundreds controlled by a single operator. The news comes as NATO seeks to shore up the defense of vital subsea cable infrastructure. German military tech startup Helsing said it is readying a fleet of undersea drones amid intensifying threats to subsea cables, and said they'd be ready to deploy in around a year. The uncrewed submarine, the SG-1 Fathom, would be able to patrol and stay underwater for up to three months at a time, it said. In a statement Tuesday, the company said that its AI Lura software detects subsea threats and can identify ship and submarine models from their underwater sound patterns. It claimed the software operates 40x faster than human operators, and is 10x quieter than other models, meaning it's better able to evade detection. "We must harness new technologies to keep pace with the threats against our critical infrastructure, national waters, and way of life," said Gundbert Scherf, cofounder and co-CEO of Helsing. Hundreds of the drones could be deployed at the same time, controlled by a single operator, the company said, monitoring undersea regions for threats and relaying live data. Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC, told BI that underwater drones such as the ones being developed by Helsing "would be effective at monitoring underwater infrastructure." He added that each drone's detection range is "quite short," but that the system is designed to manage dozens or even hundreds at a time. Clark also said that underwater drones could be vulnerable to electronic jamming, which could impact their navigation systems and cause them to get "lost." Helsing's announcement comes amid intensifying threats to networks of subsea cables crucial for carrying internet data. European officials blamed Russia for a series of subsea cable severances in the Baltic late last year and in January, which some said was part of the Kremlin's "hybrid warfare" campaign. In September, Business Insider reported that a specialist Russian submarine sabotage unit had been surveilling subsea cables. NATO has formed its own special unit to better defend critical underwater infrastructure, and has also said it's developing new satellite technology so that data can be rerouted in the event of a massive disruption. European militaries are also testing and deploying sea drones as part of their bid to increase undersea monitoring and shore up defenses. The UK's military, as part of its Project Cabot, is testing new drone and AI technology to monitor underwater infrastructure, and is working with Helsing on the project, The Times of London reported Tuesday. Helsing has already produced AI systems and aerial drone systems for European militaries, and was valued at $5.4 billion during a funding round last year. It said it had developed the sea drones following interest from several navies, and had tested them at a naval base in the south of England. "Deploying AI to the edge of underwater constellations will illuminate the oceans and deter our adversaries, for a strong Europe," Helsing's Scherf said. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
15-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
A European defence startup is making drone submarines that can lurk underwater for 3 months at a time
German military tech startup Helsing said it is readying a fleet of undersea drones amid intensifying threats to subsea cables, and said they'd be ready to deploy in around a year. The uncrewed submarine, the SG-1 Fathom, would be able to patrol and stay underwater for up to three months at a time, it said. In a statement Tuesday, the company said that its AI Lura software detects subsea threats and can identify ship and submarine models from their underwater sound patterns. It claimed the software operates 40x faster than human operators, and is 10x quieter than other models, meaning it's better able to evade detection. "We must harness new technologies to keep pace with the threats against our critical infrastructure, national waters, and way of life," said Gundbert Scherf, cofounder and co-CEO of Helsing. Hundreds of the drones could be deployed at the same time, controlled by a single operator, the company said, monitoring undersea regions for threats and relaying live data. Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, DC, told BI that underwater drones such as the ones being developed by Helsing "would be effective at monitoring underwater infrastructure." He added that each drone's detection range is "quite short," but that the system is designed to manage dozens or even hundreds at a time. Clark also said that underwater drones could be vulnerable to electronic jamming, which could impact their navigation systems and cause them to get "lost." Helsing's announcement comes amid intensifying threats to networks of subsea cables crucial for carrying internet data. European officials blamed Russia for a series of subsea cable severances in the Baltic late last year and in January, which some said was part of the Kremlin's "hybrid warfare" campaign. In September, Business Insider reported that a specialist Russian submarine sabotage unit had been surveilling subsea cables. NATO has formed its own special unit to better defend critical underwater infrastructure, and has also said it's developing new satellite technology so that data can be rerouted in the event of a massive disruption. European militaries are also testing and deploying sea drones as part of their bid to increase undersea monitoring and shore up defenses. The UK's military, as part of its Project Cabot, is testing new drone and AI technology to monitor underwater infrastructure, and is working with Helsing on the project, The Times of London reported Tuesday. Helsing has already produced AI systems and aerial drone systems for European militaries, and was valued at $5.4 billion during a funding round last year. It said it had developed the sea drones following interest from several navies, and had tested them at a naval base in the south of England. "Deploying AI to the edge of underwater constellations will illuminate the oceans and deter our adversaries, for a strong Europe," Helsing's Scherf said.
Scotsman
14-05-2025
- Science
- Scotsman
"Secret weapon" being tested for Royal Navy to hunt Russia submarines
A 'secret weapon' is being developed which the Royal Navy can use to deal with Russian submarines. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... AI sensory technology that was originally used to track whales is set to be installed on underwater drones tasked with patrolling British waters. As reported in The Times, it's hoped a recent technological advancement can be used by Royal Navy technicians to 'illuminate' the oceans and make it easier to hunt submarines. Autonomous mini-hunter submarines could use artificial intelligence to identify sounds and movements under the ocean. The Lura system, developed by European defence company Helsing, can tell the difference between two ships of the same class by analysing acoustic waves. This would allow personnel to be freed from trawling through the data, speeding up reaction time so capabilities can be deployed faster. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad HMS Tyne with Russian Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar in the background. | Royal Navy / SWNS It can be used to identify submarines, tankers, passenger vessels and vessels belonging to the Russian shadow fleet. Gundbert Scherf, co-founder of Helsing, told The Times: 'We must harness new technologies to keep pace with the threats against our critical infrastructure, national waters and way of life.' Autonomous Royal Navy trials The Royal Navy has been consistently investing in autonomous technology and testing various types of equipment. Surface vessels which can sail by themselves have been trialled, and a new team has been formed to trial the latest autonomous military capabilities. The new Disruptive Capabilities and Technologies Office (DCTO) will include specialists from NavyX, the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, and the Navy AI cell, will make up the new formation. XV Patrick Blackett, an experimental ship based at Portsmouth Naval Base, will be used as a hotbed for various tests. Rear Admiral James Parkin, the Royal Navy's Director Develop, previously said: 'This innovation will ensure that the Royal Navy will be better positioned to work with other areas in Defence, and our allies and partners, to learn the lessons from modern conflict, and ensure we introduce cutting edge capabilities into the front line at the speed of relevance. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'In this way the Royal Navy will harness the best of today's technology in order to disrupt faster than our adversaries and remain ready to fight and win on day one of any future conflict.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
AI company Helsing unveils swarming underwater surveillance drones
MILAN — Germany-based Helsing has launched an underwater drone surveillance network powered by artificial intelligence for the detection of enemy submarines and ships out at sea for months at a time. The company's artificial-intelligence tool Lura is at the heart of the setup, processing data from SG-1 Fathom drones, Helsing said in a statement. By relying on a large-scale acoustic model, Lura is able to detect and categorize a variety of undersea threats based on the signature they emit, including submarines and different types of ships, at a high accuracy, according to the company. 'Lura's use of this model enables it to detect acoustic signatures 10 times quieter than other AI models, even differentiating between specific vessels from within the same class, at a speed up to 40 times faster than humans,' reads the Helsing statement. Many nations with advanced militaries collect intelligence about adversary ships, from the acoustic noise emitted by their propulsion systems to the characteristics of the wake form and water bubble generated by them. Analysts can then cross-check that data to identify threats at sea. According to Helsing, the Fathom drone is swarming-capable, which means hundreds can be deployed at a time patrolling an area's underwater environment for up to three months. The company demonstrated the setup last week Portsmouth Naval Base, England, as the company expects to deploy the capability within the year. Potential regions for deployment included the North and Baltic seas, where NATO is currently carrying out its Baltic Sentry mission focused on securing critical infrastructure at sea. The military alliance has also trialled an AI software tool, dubbed Mainsail, developed by the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation in Italy, which flags suspicious vessels. It allows sifting through and analyzing enormous amounts of data such as maritime traffic to enable authorities to collect underwater intelligence or detect boats diverting off-course. 'Deploying AI to the edge of underwater constellations will illuminate the oceans and deter our adversaries for a strong Europe,' the co-founder and co-CEO of Helsing, Gundbert Scherf, said.
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
German AI boss: 'Drone wall' on NATO eastern flank possible in a year
German defence company Helsing is calling for the swift establishment of an effective conventional deterrent on NATO's eastern flank using new types of combat drones. "A drone wall could be erected within a year. You also need reconnaissance systems, satellites and probably reconnaissance drones," Gundbert Scherf, co-founder and co-chief executive of the Munich-based enterprise, told dpa on Sunday. However, Scherf believes the entire concept of modern-day defence would first need a major rethink. "At the moment, the debate is still like the Cold War," he argued. "We're counting armoured systems, aircraft and ships on the other side and seeing if we can somehow get close to parity with a lot of money. And I think that's the wrong way round." Helsing specializes in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for the defence industry. It has developed the HX-2 drone - initially for use in Ukraine - which employs AI to guide explosive charges to a target and is less susceptible to electronic interference. The company has established a partnership with French space start-up Loft Orbital to monitor borders and troop movements using reconnaissance satellites. With the Swedish manufacturer Saab, preparations are being made to install an AI application for air combat in the Gripen fighter jet. Helsing also plans to present an autonomous system for use at sea soon.
