Denmark launches robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North Seas

Four uncrewed robotic sailboats known as “Voyagers” have been put into service by the Danish Armed Forces for a three-month operational trial. They are built by California-based Saildrone. The vessels will patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North seas where maritime tensions and suspected sabotage have escalated sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Two of the Voyagers launched Monday from Koge Marina. The location is about 40 kilometers or 25 miles south of Copenhagen. The vessels are powered by wind and solar energy. They can operate autonomously for months at sea. Saildrone says the vessels carry advanced sensor suites like radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar and acoustic monitoring.