Saildrone Timeline

Events

2026-08-20 - Demonstration - Saildrone Surveyor fires JAGM missiles during RIMPAC - The live-fire operation was conducted off Hawaii under the Navy Fleet Experimentation Program. The Surveyor acted on target data for a surrogate high-speed surface craft through the ARES combat system. A passive electronic-warfare sensor also detected… - source: saildrone.com
2026-08-20 - Demonstration - Saildrone and Lockheed demonstrate missile launch from USV - The Surveyor acted on target data for a surrogate high-speed surface craft during the live-fire exercise near Hawaii. The team moved from concept to demonstration in six months in partnership with the U.S. Navy. A separate passive electronic-warfare test… - source: news.lockheedmartin.com
2026-08-18 - Facility Opening - Saildrone opens Copenhagen headquarters and expands European production - Van Der Valk Shipyard is slated to build the first European-produced 52-metre Spectre in the Netherlands. Umoe Mandal will produce the next Surveyor generation in Norway, while Southern Spars will build Surveyor wings in Poland. The Copenhagen base supports… - source: saildrone.com
2026-08-17 - Facility Opening - Saildrone opens European HQ and names three regional build partners - Van der Valk Shipyard will build the first European 52-metre Saildrone Spectre in the Netherlands. Umoe Mandal will produce the next-generation Surveyor in Norway, while Southern Spars will manufacture Surveyor wings in Poland. The Copenhagen base will… - source: saildrone.com
2026-08-04 - Contract Award - Saildrone receives $16.3 million Navy task order for Voyager operations - The extended operations support Joint Interagency Task Force South and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet. Saildrone has operated Voyager vehicles in the region since 2023, providing persistent surveillance across large maritime areas. The… - source: saildrone.com
2026-05-21 - Deployment - Saildrone assigns 10 Explorer USVs to NOAA’s 2026 hurricane mission - The vehicles are scheduled for the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf from July through November. Two Explorers will carry NOAA ASVCO2 sensors for ocean-atmosphere carbon-dioxide measurements. NOAA will set mission objectives while Saildrone operators position the… - source: saildrone.com
2026-05-12 - Deployment - Saildrone deploys 16 Voyager USVs for U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes mission - Saildrone is deploying 16 Voyager unmanned surface vehicles in support of US Coast Guard missions across the Great Lakes and the Northeast. The Alameda, California-based company announced the deployment on May 11, 2026. - source: dronelife.com
2026-04-20 - Product Launch - Saildrone unveils 52-metre Spectre naval USV design - Silent Endurance and Stealth variants address long-endurance acoustic and higher-speed kinetic missions. The design supports a payload above 70 tonnes and containerized mission systems. Construction was due to begin ahead of first-vessel sea trials planned… - source: saildrone.com
2026-04-01 - Product Launch - Saildrone introduces Spectre USV for ASW and VLS strike - Spectre expands Saildrone's portfolio from ISR and mapping into defense mission roles. The system is positioned for naval operations including ASW and VLS strike. The product gives Saildrone a concrete offering for unmanned aircraft, air mobility or… - source: saildrone.com
2026-03-03 - Demonstration - Saildrone Voyager operates sub-bottom profiler in Baltic survey - The profiler collected full-waveform acoustic data on seafloor and sub-seafloor structure. Saildrone reports operation in water depths to 250 metres with penetration to 70 metres depending on sediment. The four-Voyager Baltic mission had operated for six… - source: saildrone.com
2026-02-24 - Deployment - Saildrone Surveyor begins Mariana Islands mapping for Woolpert and NOAA - Woolpert was selected by NOAA and partnered with Saildrone for autonomous data acquisition. Survey data was transmitted to Woolpert in near real time for processing and delivery. The underway contract was expected to conclude in May 2026. - source: saildrone.com
2025-10-29 - Funding - Saildrone receives $50M strategic investment from Lockheed Martin - Lockheed Martin invested $50 million in Saildrone alongside a collaboration on defense-ready unmanned surface vessels. The companies planned to integrate Lockheed Martin defense payloads with Saildrone unmanned surface vessels. The investment was intended to… - source: saildrone.com
2025-05-13 - Funding - Saildrone raises USD 60M for European maritime autonomy - The capital supported a Copenhagen headquarters and operations hub for European defense and security work. Saildrone planned to deploy the first four Voyagers in the Baltic Sea under contract to the Danish Armed Forces. - source: saildrone.com
2025-05-06 - Regulatory - American Bureau of Shipping issues full classification for Saildrone Surveyor - Saildrone announced that the Surveyor platform received full classification from the American Bureau of Shipping. The company said the classification sets a benchmark for safety and reliability in autonomous maritime systems. The milestone validates the… - source: saildrone.com
2025-03-10 - Deployment - Saildrone begins unmanned survey of Florida coastal waters - The deployment supports the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative. Florida DEP is the named public-sector survey counterparty. The deployment places Saildrone's technology into unmanned aircraft, air mobility or counter-drone operations beyond a lab-only… - source: saildrone.com
2025-02-03 - Deployment - Saildrone deploys 20 Voyager USVs for Operation Southern Spear - The mission used the largest Voyager fleet Saildrone had fielded to that date. The deployment supported maritime domain awareness across a counter-trafficking operating area. The deployment places Saildrone's technology into unmanned aircraft, air mobility… - source: saildrone.com
2023-11-07 - Regulatory - Saildrone Voyager Is First USV to Earn ABS Interim Classification - The classification applied to the 10-meter Saildrone Voyager USV. Voyager supports nearshore mapping, maritime security, and defense applications. The classification created a marine-assurance milestone for commercial USVs. - source: saildrone.com
2023-09-13 - Deployment - Saildrone Voyager launches for U.S. 4th Fleet Windward Stack - Voyager USVs launched from NAS Key West's Mole Pier and Truman Harbor. The launch supported U.S. 4th Fleet Operation Windward Stack. The operation used commercial unmanned surface vessels for maritime domain awareness and unmanned-systems integration. - source: dvidshub.net
2023-08-02 - Deployment - Saildrone resumes autonomous Great Lakes fishery surveys for USGS - The 2023 mission operated Saildrone vehicle SD-1080 from Erie, Pennsylvania. The campaign collected fishery data using autonomous surface vehicles. An MBARI long-range autonomous underwater vehicle also participated in the wider survey programme. - source: saildrone.com
2023-07-18 - Deployment - Saildrone redeploys hurricane-tested USV for NOAA mission - The mission returned the Hurricane Sam vehicle to Atlantic hurricane monitoring. NOAA used multiple saildrones to collect ocean-atmosphere data during hurricane season. The deployment places Saildrone redeploys hurricane-tested USV for NOAA mission's… - source: saildrone.com
2023-06-29 - Deployment - More Ocean Drones Than Ever Deploy for the 2023 Hurricane Season! – Saildrone - A Saildrone Explorer is a 23 – foot uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) propelled by the wind and powered by solar energy, with a zero operational carbon footprint. In partnership with NOAA, 12 Saildrone Explorers will be deployed throughout the mission – more… - source: saildrone.com
2023-06-07 - Regulatory - ABS grants first approval in principle to commercial Saildrone USVs - The approval covered both Voyager and Surveyor platforms. Approval in principle is an early classification milestone for a new maritime vehicle. Saildrone described it as the first such certificate for a commercial USV. - source: saildrone.com
2023-04-19 - Partnership - Saildrone partners with Seabed 2030 for ocean mapping - The partnership connects Saildrone USV surveys to the global bathymetry mapping effort. GEBCO and Seabed 2030 are the named ocean-mapping counterparties. - source: saildrone.com
2023-04-14 - Partnership - Austal and Saildrone plan Australian Surveyor production - The exclusive Australian teaming agreement covers local manufacture of the 20-metre Saildrone Surveyor for Indo-Pacific deployments. Austal said parallel production in Australia and at its Mobile, Alabama shipyard would increase capacity to scale… - source: austal.com
2022-09-01 - Commercial Order - Austal USA selected to build 65-foot Saildrone Surveyor USVs - The Surveyor is a 65-foot, or 20-metre, uncrewed surface vehicle. Its roles include deep-ocean mapping and maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Manufacturing was assigned to Austal USA’s Mobile shipyard. - source: saildrone.com
2021-10-18 - Funding - Saildrone raises USD 100M Series C for ocean data drones - BOND led the financing. The round supported production and commercialization of autonomous ocean data systems. The capital supports unmanned aircraft, air mobility or counter-drone operations as Saildrone moves toward broader commercial use. - source: saildrone.com
2021-09-30 - Demonstration - Saildrone captures first video from inside a major hurricane - Saildrone 1045 operated inside Category 4 Hurricane Sam. The mission demonstrated USV data collection in extreme hurricane conditions. The demonstration validates The company's technology in unmanned aircraft, air mobility or counter-drone operations. - source: noaa.gov
2020-11-03 - Deployment - Saildrone demonstrates autonomous monitoring of illegal fishing - The platform used wind and solar power for persistent operation. A 360-degree camera system and onboard GPU supported vessel monitoring. The exercise evaluated a lower-cost approach to maritime-domain awareness. - source: saildrone.com
2020-10-13 - Deployment - Saildrone Fleet Completes First Arctic Mapping Mission - The purpose of the Saildrone vehicle is to make ocean data collection cost – effective at scale, while not exposing humans to unnecessary risk. The four saildrones are currently making their way back to San Francisco. After an approximately 11.5 – week… - source: saildrone.com
2020-08-12 - Deployment - Saildrone began an autonomous ocean-mapping mission off Alaska’s North Slope - Missions A saildrone during a calibration rendezvous with the USCG Cutter Healy in the Chukchi Sea in 2017 After a 11.5-week, 3,000-nautical mile transit, the vehicles have rounded Point Hope and arrived in the Arctic to begin the mission The saildrones are… - source: saildrone.com
2020-07-17 - Deployment - Two Saildrone USVs complete six-month Tropical Atlantic mission - The vehicles operated from January through July 2020. The mission supported NOAA’s ATOMIC research campaign. The USVs continued measurements after the campaign’s initial intensive observation period. - source: saildrone.com
2020-06-01 - Deployment - NOAA used Saildrone vehicles for an Alaska pollock survey during the 2020 vessel shutdown - The 2020 AFSC Alaska Pollock Survey will be Saildrone’s seventh mission to the Arctic and the company’s first operational mission The saildrones are expected to reach the Bering Sea in early July to begin the 60-day acoustic survey Saildrone has collaborated… - source: saildrone.com
2020-01-16 - Market Signal - Atlantic Fleet Studies Tropical Air-Sea Fluxes – Saildrone - The fleet sampled the North Brazil Current, where warm ocean water mixes with freshwater from the Amazon and Orinoco rivers. The vehicles joined satellites, aircraft, research ships, buoys, floats and autonomous underwater platforms. The campaign aimed to… - source: saildrone.com
2019-12-04 - Partnership - Saildrone and GEOMAR used an uncrewed surface vehicle to survey ocean eddies - SD-1030, equipped with an ADCP sensor, scouting for ocean eddies during the #MOSESeddyhunt Science SD-1030 and RV Meteor during #MOSESeddyhunt phase of the 2019 Saildrone ATL2MED mission The 2019 Saildrone Atlantic to Mediterranean (ATL2MED) mission brings… - source: saildrone.com
2019-11-21 - Demonstration - Saildrone joins MBARI CANON ocean-observation experiment - SD 1038 carried a Simrad EK80 echo sounder in addition to the standard Saildrone sensor suite. The experiment launched from the MARS deep-sea observatory about 20 nautical miles offshore of Monterey. The vehicle provided large-scale surveys and continuous… - source: saildrone.com
2019-11-06 - Deployment - Saildrone begins Atlantic-to-Mediterranean carbon-observation mission - The first phase surveyed ocean eddies around Cabo Verde. GEOMAR led the initial research phase. Saildrone USVs were selected for long distances between remote carbon-observation sites. - source: saildrone.com
2019-10-15 - Deployment - Saildrone presents autonomous approach to global ocean mapping - The approach targets remote ocean areas that are difficult to survey with crewed research vessels. Uncrewed surface vehicles can collect bathymetric data without a full shipboard survey team. The source presents a mapping method and operating concept, not a… - source: saildrone.com
2019-08-05 - Capability - Saildrone completes autonomous Antarctica circumnavigation - The 22,000-kilometer mission lasted 196 days. The vehicle collected climate and ocean data in Southern Ocean conditions. The capability strengthens Saildrone's role in unmanned aircraft, air mobility or counter-drone operations. for named customers, products… - source: saildrone.com
2019-06-10 - Market Signal - Saildrone plans Antarctic fur-seal tracking mission - The planned USVs would use echo sounders to survey krill and fish in the seals' foraging area. Researchers intended to compare those acoustic observations with movements from GPS-tagged Antarctic fur seals. The work formed part of the 2019 Saildrone… - source: saildrone.com
2019-05-29 - Deployment - Largest USV Fleet Ever Launches 5th Annual Arctic Mission – Saildrone - The sixth saildrone will remain in the Bering Sea to conduct fish stock surveys. ‍ Three of six saildrones deployed from Dutch Harbor, AK, on the 2019 Arctic mission. Last year, four saildrones on two concurrent missions measured ocean currents and air – sea… - source: saildrone.com
2019-01-30 - Deployment - Saildrone launches Gulf Stream carbon-exchange mission - The payload included a NOAA-developed carbon-dioxide sensor. The mission studied heat and carbon transfer between ocean and atmosphere. The campaign used an uncrewed surface vehicle for sustained offshore measurements. - source: saildrone.com

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