Europe’s semi-autonomous warship project passes design milestone

June 10, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

Europe’s semi-autonomous warship project EUROGUARD has passed a major development milestone, with the consortium completing the program’s Critical Design Review (CDR).

On May 21, 2026, the EUROGUARD project marked a major milestone at the Baltic Workboats shipyard in Nasva, Estonia, hosting its CDR alongside the prototype vessel hull presentation and a virtual system demonstration.

The event brought together consortium partners and representatives of participating Member States, highlighting progress in one of the largest projects funded under the European Defence Fund.

EUROGUARD is developing a 45-meter semi-autonomous modular vessel designed for missions such as surveillance and reconnaissance, mine countermeasures, drone operations, and search and rescue.

The €95 million project is funded by the European Defence Fund (€65 million) and participating countries and industry (€30 million).

Coordinated by Baltic Workboats, the project brings together 27 organisations from ten European countries. Running from 2023 to 2027, it aims to enhance Europe’s maritime security capabilities.

“The Critical Design Review confirms that the EUROGUARD system is moving from design to operational reality,” said Project Coordinator Martin Laur.

“It reflects strong European cooperation in delivering next-generation maritime defence capabilities.”

The review validated the design of the EUROGUARD demonstrator, integrating advanced technologies into a modular, semi-autonomous maritime platform. Participants observed the prototype vessel’s physical progress and experienced a virtual demonstration of its operational capabilities.