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Denmark’s military has launched a trial using four uncrewed robotic sailboats, called “Voyagers,” to boost surveillance in the Baltic and North Seas amid rising maritime tensions. The 10-meter vessels, built by California-based Saildrone, operate autonomously on wind and solar power, equipped with advanced radar, infrared, sonar, and cameras to monitor waters for up to months at a time.
Two Voyagers were deployed Monday from Koge Marina near Copenhagen, joining two others already participating in a NATO patrol since June 6. The trial aims to increase monitoring of critical undersea infrastructure, including fiber-optic cables and power lines, which have been repeatedly damaged amid growing regional tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Danish officials say the robotic sailboats help fill surveillance gaps in areas where constant naval patrols are prohibitively expensive. NATO is working to establish a layered maritime surveillance system combining these drones with ships, satellites, and seabed sensors to counter hybrid threats, including sabotage blamed on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
“The security situation in the Baltic is tense,” said Lt. Gen. Kim Jørgensen of Denmark’s Defense Ministry. Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins described the vessels as “trucks” carrying sensors that provide a comprehensive picture of surface and underwater activity up to 30 miles away, addressing previously unmonitored threats like illegal fishing, smuggling, and infrastructure damage.
With information from AP.
