STARK Unveils Vanta 12 USV With 1,200-Nautical-Mile Range and 10 Kamikaze Drones

German company STARK has presented its new unmanned surface vessel (USV), the Vanta 12.

STARK told Militarnyi about the new USV.

The Vanta 12 is designed to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance, electronic warfare (EW), maritime area patrols, and strike missions.

The unmanned surface vessel is 12 meters long, can reach speeds over 40 knots, and has a range of up to 1,200 nautical miles (approximately 2,222 km). Its stated payload capacity is up to two tonnes.

According to the developer, the vessel is designed to remain at sea for several weeks without returning to base.

“Hybrid threats are challenging because they often lack a clear point of onset. Suspicious activity near a cable or energy facility does not necessarily indicate an attack, but it is important to detect such activity in a timely manner, monitor how the situation develops, and respond rapidly. Therefore, persistent maritime presence and surveillance are becoming increasingly important to protect critical infrastructure. Given the growing use of unmanned aerial systems, the ability to conduct electronic warfare at sea is becoming equally important,” Maksym Cherkis, Chief Operating Officer of STARK Ukraine, shared.

The platform uses autonomous navigation and software incorporating AI capabilities. Its modular architecture allows for the integration of various sensor suites, electronic warfare systems, and weapons.

The unmanned platform is controlled using Minerva, a system the company developed to integrate remotely operated systems of different types into a unified command-and-control architecture.

Vanta 12 Armament

The Vanta 12 is equipped with ten Cascade loitering munitions developed by STARK, which were publicly unveiled at the Eurosatory international defense exhibition in June. The company has also launched the munitions from a maritime platform.

The loitering munition is launched from a dedicated tubular container. The Cascade has a maximum flight range of up to 100 km, a cruising speed of approximately 100 km/h, and a terminal dive speed of up to 220 km/h. Its payload capacity can reach 4.5 kg.

In addition, the Vanta 12 has been integrated with four Sea Venom anti-ship missiles manufactured by MBDA. These lightweight anti-ship missiles were jointly developed by the United Kingdom and France and are designed to engage surface targets, including corvette-class warships.

The Vanta 12’s capabilities were tested in September during the REPMUS 2026 exercise in Portugal. REPMUS is an annual large-scale exercise and experimentation program focused on robotic and unmanned maritime systems, organized by the Portuguese Navy with the participation of NATO structures and the European Defence Agency.

During REPMUS, the Vanta 12 operated alongside crewed and other unmanned platforms. According to STARK, the vessel conducted simulated combat scenarios, while the Minerva system controlled the platform and launched the Cascade loitering munitions.

STARK is a European defense technology company that develops and manufactures unmanned systems for air and maritime operations, as well as software for their control and management. The company operates in Germany, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Greece, and Sweden.

The Vanta 12 is a further development of STARK’s family of unmanned surface vessels, which also includes smaller platforms. In August, the company delivered the first Seetaube unmanned surface vessel to the German Armed Forces. The vessel was developed on the Vanta platform.

To scale up production of the Vanta family, STARK is partnering with German shipbuilder Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG). The companies plan to expand the industrial base for manufacturing these platforms in Germany and other European countries.

Militarnyi previously reported on the opening of STARK’s Ukrainian R&D center and the delivery of Virtus strike drones to Ukraine, which had previously undergone testing in combat conditions.