Saildrone Expands European USV Manufacturing in three Countries

Missile-armed version planned Saildrone Starts European Production of Unmanned Vessels

2026-08-18 From Detlev Karg 1 min Reading Time

Related Vendor

US-based Saildrone announced the expansion oft its manufacturing footprint in Europe, signing agreements to produce unmanned surface vessels (USVs) in the Netherlands, Norway and Poland. The move comes amid growing European demand for autonomous systems for maritime surveillance and defence.

Saildrone’s unmanned Surveyor surveillance vessels have been in service with the U.S. Navy for several years, seen here during a joint naval exercise with Israel in 2022.(Photo: IDF Spokesperson / CC BY-SA 3.0) — Saildrone’s unmanned Surveyor surveillance vessels have been in service with the U.S. Navy for several years, seen here during a joint naval exercise with Israel in 2022.
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson / CC BY-SA 3.0)

The largest vessel, the 52-metre Spectre, will be built by Van Der Valk Shipyard in the Netherlands. Designed for military missions, the USV can accommodate heavier sensor packages, sonar and potentially weapons systems. Saildrone's smaller Surveyor surveillance vessel will meanwhile be produced by Umoe Mandal in Norway, with Southern Spars manufacturing its wings in Poland. According to the company, the agreements will strengthen its ability to manufacture, deploy, operate and support autonomous vessels directly in Europe.

Armed versions under development

Saildrone is also working to turn its unmanned vessels into armed platforms. Lockheed Martin invested $50 million in the company in 2025, with plans to integrate missile systems into the Surveyor. One option under development is Lockheed Martin's JAGM Quad Launcher, which would give the autonomous vessel a missile capability. The cooperation could eventually extend to significantly larger unmanned vessels capable of carrying weapons such as Tomahawk cruise missiles or performing anti-submarine missions. Initial sea trials are planned. Saildrone's vessels are already used by the US Navy for maritime surveillance.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.