Sweden has selected Saildrone to operate four unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for a 360-day mission to monitor its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone in the Baltic Sea.
This deployment marks the first national deployment of Saildrone USVs under the Nordic Defence Cooperation (NORDEFCO) framework that enables participating Nordic nations to rapidly procure Saildrone maritime domain awareness services. Additional national deployments under the framework will follow, according to Saildrone.
NORDEFCO is a cooperative organization that unites Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and other Northern European countries to streamline defense cooperation and field proven regional security solutions.
The Saildrone Voyager fleet will continuously patrol Sweden’s territorial waters in the Baltic Sea to deliver real-time maritime intelligence directly to the Swedish Armed Forces. Operating as a managed service, Saildrone maintains, deploys, and tasks the USVs to enable Sweden to maintain persistent maritime domain awareness without deploying additional crewed ships.
"This is fundamentally not about four unmanned vessels, but about access to sustained intelligence collection at sea. In other words, we are purchasing a persistent maritime surveillance service, and Saildrone provides the vessels that supply the Navy with data,” said Johan Wahren, project manager at Sweden's Defence Materiel Administration (FMV).
“This mission reflects Sweden’s commitment to securing the Baltic Sea and highlights Saildrone’s growing operational presence across Northern Europe,” said Robert Kleist, Saildrone’s European managing director.
“Sweden is investing in year-round maritime awareness as an operational capability. The NORDEFCO framework gives Nordic nations a common mechanism for accessing that capability while allowing each country to define and operate its own mission.”
Saildrone delivers persistent maritime domain awareness for navies and law enforcement. The company has supported defense and security missions in places ranging from the Baltic Sea and the High North to the Southern Ocean and the Middle East.
The company recently registered four Saildrone Voyager USVs in Denmark to operate under the Danish national flag. The registration establishes a clear flag-state framework for Saildrone USVs operating internationally and supports the company operating alongside various European nations. Saildrone Europe will flag additional Saildrone USVs in the coming weeks.