Powered by wind and solar energy, the autonomous sea drones can operate for extended periods without human intervention
From a distance, they resemble ordinary sailboats bearing Denmark’s red-and-white flag. But these 10-metre uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as “Voyagers,” are part of a new maritime surveillance initiative by Denmark’s armed forces. Built by California-based Saildrone, the four vessels have been deployed for a three-month operational trial to patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North Seas — regions where maritime tensions have risen since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Powered by wind and solar energy, the autonomous sea drones can operate for extended periods without human intervention. Equipped with radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar, and acoustic sensors, the Voyagers offer persistent monitoring capabilities over a range of 30 to 50 kilometres. Two of the drones launched from Koge Marina, south of Copenhagen, while two others joined a NATO patrol on 6 June.
Saildrone’s founder and CEO, Richard Jenkins, described the vessels as mobile sensor platforms, using AI and machine learning to provide real-time situational awareness above and below the surface. “No one’s observing” many of the threats at sea — from undersea cable sabotage to illegal fishing and smuggling — he said, arguing that the Voyagers expand surveillance to previously unmonitored waters.
The Danish Defence Ministry said the programme aims to enhance monitoring near critical infrastructure such as fibre-optic cables and subsea power lines. “The security situation in the Baltic is tense,” noted Lt. Gen. Kim Jørgensen, director of Danish National Armaments. “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.”
