Saildrone Inc., a leader in uncrewed surface vehicle technology, has joined forces with Thales Australia to advance maritime surveillance capabilities. This collaboration combines Saildrone’s innovative Surveyor USV with Thales’ BlueSentry acoustic sensor, aiming to provide enhanced undersea monitoring solutions for defense and commercial sectors. The integrated system leverages renewable energy sources to enable sustained operations in challenging ocean environments.
In earlier developments, Saildrone primarily focused on deploying USVs for environmental and scientific data collection. The integration with Thales’ BlueSentry represents a strategic expansion into undersea threat detection, broadening the applications and effectiveness of Saildrone’s platforms in maritime security.
Sea Trials Demonstrate Surveyor and BlueSentry Endurance
Funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, extensive testing off California’s coast validated the efficacy of the Saildrone-Thales system in detecting and classifying underwater and surface threats. The combined system operated uninterrupted for 26 days, maintaining over 96% uptime.
Advanced System Integration Enhances Detection Capabilities
The integration includes Thales’ Thin Line Array with onboard processing and secure data transmission using Starlink and Iridium satellites.
“The acoustic performance of the BlueSentry array, paired with a platform as silent and capable as the Saildrone Surveyor, represents a considerable step forward in undersea observation,”
stated Richard Jenkins, founder and CEO of Saildrone.
Plans for Scaled Deployments and National Security
Saildrone and Thales Australia are preparing to scale up deployments, creating a network of autonomous surveillance assets to bolster national security.
“This partnership and ready-to-deploy capability set the standard for future intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance at sea, particularly in sensitive and remote regions that have significant operational challenges,”
said Jeff Connolly, CEO of Thales Australia and New Zealand.
The Saildrone-Thales system offers a cost-effective and scalable alternative to traditional manned platforms, addressing evolving maritime threats with persistent undersea awareness. By leveraging autonomous, renewable-powered USVs, this collaboration provides robust solutions for continuous monitoring and data collection in diverse oceanic conditions.
