Denmark Deploys Voyager Surface Drones to Patrol Baltic and North Seas

The Danish Navy has deployed Voyager surface drones to patrol the Baltic and North Seas amid rising tensions in the region.

AFP and The Washington Post reported the deployment.

The drones, developed by U.S.-based Saildrone, will undergo a three-month trial.

Four Voyagers, which resemble sailboats from a distance, will patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North Seas, where concerns about sabotage have grown since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to the manufacturer, the Voyagers are up to 10 meters long, powered by wind and solar energy, and capable of operating autonomously for up to three months. Their sensors can detect underwater objects at depths of up to 300 meters.

“They’re going to cruise Danish waters, and then later, they’re going to join up with the two that are on (the) NATO exercise. And then they’ll move from area to area within the Danish waters.”

“They will perform their tasks in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, and other inland waters of Denmark,” Lt. Gen. Kim Jørgensen, the director of Danish National Armaments at the Ministry of Defense, explained to AFP.

Two drones were launched on June 16 from Koge marina into the Baltic Sea. Two others joined NATO maritime patrols on June 6.

The Saildrone company reports that the Voyagers are equipped with radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar, and other advanced sensors.

Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins compared the drones to trucks that carry sensors and use machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide “a complete picture of what is above and below the water’s surface.”

Denmark’s Ministry of Defense said the trial aims to boost surveillance capabilities in poorly monitored waters, especially around critical underwater infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables and power lines.

Last year, several underwater cables in the Baltic Sea were damaged, raising suspicions of Russian involvement.

Last week, Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Karolis Aleksa also said Russia’s GPS signal jamming in the Baltics was expanding.