Danish military using robotic sailboats for surveillance in Baltic and North Seas

From a distance they look almost like ordinary sailboats, their sails emblazoned with the red-and-white flag of Denmark.

- BY JAMES BROOKS

But these 10-meter -long vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance.

Four uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as “Voyagers,” have been put into service by Denmark's armed forces for a three-month operational trial.

Built by Alameda, California-based company 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 on Feb. 24, 2022.

Two of the Voyagers launched Monday from Koge Marina, about 40 kilometers south of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Powered by wind and solar energy, these sea drones can operate autonomously for months at sea. Saildrone says the vessels carry advanced sensor suites — radar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar and acoustic monitoring.