Latest news with #Saildrone
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NATO testing Baltic Sea drones to track Russian warships, freighters
MILAN — U.S.-based Saildrone deployed a handful of unmanned surface vessels as part of NATO's Task Force X demonstration in the Baltic Sea, which helped detect and track Russian shadow-fleet vessels operating in the area, according to the company. Launched last year, Task Force X is led by NATO's Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and seeks to accelerate the acquisition, development and integration of uncrewed maritime systems into naval operations. The alliance's top transformation branch hosted its second operational demonstration in June, where over 60 American and French-made uncrewed systems were stress-tested to assess their effectiveness against conditions on the Baltic Sea. Among the platforms deployed were four Voyagers, Saildrone's ten-meter USVs, which operated in the Gulf of Finland and the western Baltic Sea. 'Saildrone Voyagers detected and tracked hundreds of vessels daily and successfully identified the exercises' 'red forces' and identified real-world dark targets in the area, including Russian shadow-fleet and military vessels,' a company press release said. Some of the environmental challenges the drone boats had to navigate were continued operations during strong winds and rough seas with waves over 2 meters (6.5 feet). Over the last few months, European countries have ramped up sanctions targeting Russia's fleet of outdated and often uninsured tankers, known as the shadow fleet, used to evade Western bans and export oil. A report published by the Brookings think tank in April found that Russia has steadily increased the number of oil tankers part of its shadow fleet since 2022, with over 40% of new ships sold by European Union sellers. In the last three years, Russia has added approximately seven new vessels per month to its covert group, which now stands at around 343 vessels. Saildrone offers governments a so-called contractor-owned and -operated deal, which means that any data provided to the customer is delivered as a service. In the case of the NATO demonstration, the information gathered by the USVs was integrated into the participants' common operating picture and accessed through the Saildrone mission portal, made available to the alliance's Maritime Command. A similar trial was organized in February through the Task Force X initiative near Danish waters in the Balti Sea, where manned and unmanned assets were integrated into live-firing events and tactical maneuvers. According to a recent command statement, ACT has focused its efforts on engaging with manufacturers to 'bypass bureaucratic delays' and adopt commercially available off-the-shelf systems when needed in order to speed up the formation of the task force. Individual countries participating in the initiative, including Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Norway and the United Kingdom, will launch national variants modeled after the Task Force X Baltic framework to boost regional defense innovation.
Euronews
25-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
This crewless ship is defending Denmark's and NATO's waters
As maritime tensions have increased since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Denmark is investing big in defence tech. The Danish Armed Forces has announced it is deploying four uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs), dubbed 'Voyagers,' to boost surveillance capacity in under-monitored waters. They will be patrolling in Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea for three months, according to the Danish Armed Forces. 'The security situation in the Baltic is tense, and therefore it has been decided by Danish parliament and the Danish government to improve the capabilities of Danish defence, and this includes the maritime domain and of course this includes our maritime domain awareness,' said Kim Jørgensen, the director of the Danish National Armaments. Powered by solar and wind energy, they can operate autonomously for months at sea. Drones are mounted on these 10-meter-long vessels and artificial intelligence (AI) helps analyse data of the surrounding environment under and above the surface of the ocean using advanced sensors. "So, the vehicles [work] like a truck. The truck carries the sensors and we use on-board sophisticated machine learning and AI to fuse that data to give us a full picture of what's above and below the surface," said Richard Jenkins, the founder and CEO of Saildrone, the company that makes the ships. The firm said the autonomous sailboats can support operations such as illegal fishing detection, border enforcement, and strategic asset protection. Denmark invests big in defence According to a report published in 2024 from the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark, EIFO, one of the country's investment agendas lies in defence in light of the new geopolitical landscape. The unmanned surface vehicles were purchased through a $60 million (€51,70 million) investment round led by EIFO. The four Voyagers will be first in operation for a three-month trial, as Denmark and NATO allies aim at extending maritime presence, especially around critical undersea infrastructure such as fibre optic cables and power lines. NATO and its allies have increased sea patrolling following several incidents, such as the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in 2022, the Balticconnector gas pipeline burst in 2023, and undersea cable damage in the Baltic Sea in 2024. Its developer, Saildrone, is establishing its European headquarters and operational hub in Denmark's capital, Copenhagen. The American company says the new subsidiary will be the hub for all European operations. For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.
The Guardian
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Denmark to deploy ‘saildrones' in Baltic to protect undersea cables from Russian threat
Denmark is deploying floating drones on the Baltic Sea to protect undersea infrastructure and bolster maritime surveillance amid the growing threat of hybrid attacks from Russia. The arrival of Saildrone, a California-based company, has prompted criticism in Denmark over forging tighter bonds with the US in such a sensitive area as digital security. The backlash comes amid rapidly changing alliances, evolving technology and ongoing tensions between Copenhagen and Washington after Donald Trump threatened to take over Greenland, which is part of the Danish kingdom. The 10-metre unmanned vessels, known as 'saildrones', resemble sailing boats but are designed solely to collect data. Using onboard AI, saildrones compile data using multiple sensors, cameras and radar to produce a more detailed picture of maritime activity than satellites can provide. The company has previously worked with the US navy, which used its vessels to support counter-drug trafficking and illegal fishing operations. Its arrival in Denmark marks the first time it has been used for defence purposes in European waters. 'The purpose of Saildrone is to give eyes and ears where we previously didn't have eyes and ears,' said Richard Jenkins, CEO of Saildrone. As concerns grow over Russia's so-called shadow fleet – ageing tankers used to circumvent sanctions by transporting crude oil to China and India – saildrones can be used to verify vessel identification and flag unusual movements that may point to undersea sabotage of pipelines or data cables. 'What we're seeing now is commercial shipping fleets being used in military applications,' said Jenkins. 'So whether it's the shadow fleet for Russia trafficking illegal supplies that is getting around sanctions or whether they are trying to do nefarious things like damage infrastructure, we need to be able to track that.' The Danish armed forces are deploying four saildrones in the Baltic for operational testing to improve its capacity for maritime surveillance and intelligence gathering. However, the partnership has raised concerns among Denmark's tech leaders. The software engineer and entrepreneur, David Heinemeier Hansson, told Danish broadcaster DR: 'The problem with American companies is that they have to follow American law, American decrees and the American president. He can demand data at any time, and he can close an account at any time.' Jacob Herbst, head of the Danish Cybersecurity Council, said: 'With the international situation we are currently seeing, you obviously have to think very carefully when choosing American suppliers in this area.' Jenkins said they are not getting classified data in Denmark and that data is fully encrypted. The floating drones can be powered by diesel, wind and solar and can remain at sea for over a year but their average deployment is 100 days. Between 10 and 20 saildrones would be needed to cover the whole of the Baltic.
Fast Company
17-06-2025
- Fast Company
Why the Danish military is using these crewless vessels in the North and Baltic 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. 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 Jørgensen, 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.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Danish military using robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North seas
Danish military using robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North seas(AP Photos) 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.
