Innovations
Technological and operational innovations in the UAS and counter-UAS space — what emerged first, where, and what it changes. Each entry is sourced, dated, and linked to the drones involved.
Dutch MoD fields containerised fibre-optic towed array “ASW in a box”
The Netherlands is procuring and developing OPTICS11’s containerised OptiArray towed-array sonar so advanced ASW sensing can be rapidly deployed from many crewed ships and uncrewed maritime platforms. The novelty is packaging a next-gen pas…
Saronic–Samsung partnership to scale autonomy-capable vessel production
Saronic and Samsung Heavy Industries announced a partnership aimed at accelerating development and scaled production of autonomy-capable maritime platforms, including AI-enabled digital solutions and robotics-based shipyard process automati…
Sea Spear + Seabed Sentry demo distributed counter-UUV harbor defense at Lanternfish
Ultra Maritime’s deployable Sea Spear sonar integrated with Anduril’s Seabed Sentry and Lattice to detect, track, and classify medium/large UUVs and automatically push alerts/tracks into the US Navy’s C2 (cUxV) without human relay. The nove…
US Coast Guard seeks tech to detect and defeat uncrewed underwater vehicles
The USCG issued a request for solutions for systems that can not only detect/track uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs) but also defeat/mitigate them, especially for port and harbor defense. While not a fielded weapon yet, it signals an emer…
Drones: Sea Baby
Leonardo-Baykar unveils TB3-based Astore Levante carrier-capable UCAV for Italy
LBA Systems revealed the Astore Levante, a TB3-derived shipborne UCAV integrating Leonardo sensors/EW/ESM payload options and autonomous shipboard launch/recovery, with production underway in Italy for delivery to an Italian end-user in 202…
Drones: Bayraktar TB3
Naval Group updates MP-OPV for Lithuania with heavier armament and drone modules
Naval Group unveiled an updated MP-OPV concept for Lithuania that shifts an OPV toward corvette-like combat power (76mm gun, VLS SAM, anti-ship missiles, new radar/FCR) while retaining a modular mission bay and expanded containerized payloa…
Claimed threat of USVs launched from merchant ships in the Atlantic
The post flags a purported emerging tactic: deploying unmanned surface vehicles (БЭК/USVs) from commercial vessels to threaten shipping in the Atlantic. If accurate, this would represent an expansion of maritime-drone launch methods and ope…
Italian U212 NFS submarines to add WASS countermeasures and Li-ion batteries
Fincantieri’s U212 NFS program adds new WASS-developed submarine countermeasure systems (first time on Italy’s national subs) plus upgrades in onboard integration and lifecycle logistics support. The class also introduces lithium-ion propul…
Italian FREMM EVO frigates add dual-band AESA radar and anti-drone upgrades
The post describes the next-generation FREMM “EVOLUTION” frigate configuration, notably upgrading from a single rotating AESA radar to the Leonardo Kronos Dual-Band Radar suite with multiple fixed AESA arrays (C-band Kronos Quad + X-band Kr…
Singapore launches second MRCV designed as mothership for unmanned systems
Singapore’s RSN launched its second Multi-Role Combat Vessel (MRCV), a large combatant designed to act as a mothership for UAVs, USVs and AUVs with modular containerized mission bays and advanced automation for reduced crewing. The concept …