Drones News

A German warship operating as part of the United Nations' UNIFIL peacekeeping mission shot down a drone off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, the German defense ministry told Reuters, as unease builds over the safety of the U.N. troops in the country.UNIFIL positions have come under fire in Lebanon since Israel launched a ground operation against Hezbollah militants on Oct. 1, raising alarm among European governments participating in the mission."The corvette brought an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) into the water in a controlled crash…

Damen Shipyards is building a multifunctional vessel for the Portuguese Navy. The ship will be the first in the world to combine oceanographic research with drone deployment capabilities.The multi-purpose vessel (MPV), named NRP D. João II, has been funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) that is part of NextGenerationEU, the economic recovery package to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.The vessel, measuring 107 meters in length…

As the war between Ukraine and Russia rages on, the Black Sea has become a hotbed for naval operations, with Ukraine pioneering the use of naval drones in its fight to reclaim the Crimean Peninsula. These drones have emerged as a potent tool in disrupting Russian naval dominance, particularly around Sevastopol, the home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.Ukraine's use of unmanned naval drones marks a significant shift in naval warfare. These drones are capable of targeting large warships, as demonstrated in the October 2022 attack on Russian vessels docked in Sevastopol.

The U.S. military said on Thursday that it had destroyed four unmanned drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.The U.S. Central Command said on the social media site X that the drones "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region."The drones were aimed at a coalition vessel and a U.S. warship and "were engaged in self defense over the Red Sea," the statement from the U.S. Central Command said, adding there were no injuries or damage reported to the U.S. or coalition ships.(Reuters - Reporting by Jasper Ward and Dan Whitcomb)

The Portuguese Navy has contracted Damen Shipyards Group for the design, construction and outfitting of a multi-purpose vessel.The contract was signed by Director of Ships Rear Admiral Jorge Pires and Damen Shipyards Group CCO Jan Wim Dekker. The project follows a European tender process and is funded by the European Union’s Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) that is part of NextGenerationEU (the economic recovery package to support EU member states affected by the COVID-19…

On a windswept island 50 miles north of Seattle sits a U.S. Navy monitoring station. For years, it was kept busy tracking whale movements and measuring rising sea temperatures. Last October, the Navy gave the unit a new name that better reflects its current mission: Theater Undersea Surveillance Command.The renaming of the spy station at the Whidbey Island naval base is a nod to a much larger U.S. military project, according to three people with direct knowledge of the plans:…

Over the past year North Korea has moved to boost its navy with new nuclear weapons, including an underwater drone, warships, and its first operational missile submarine, unveiled on Friday.North Korea's navy has historically been dwarfed by the country's land forces, and overshadowed by its rapidly advancing ballistic missile program.Now, leader Kim Jong Un has said the navy will play a key role in the country's nuclear deterrence, and analysts say it may also assure support among naval commanders and boost national pride."Until quite recently…

Russia's Black Sea port of Taman is poised to suspend exports of highly-explosive liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) because of concerns linked to drone attacks, three sources with knowledge of the situation told Reuters on Friday. Russia has come under repeated attack in recent weeks, suffering a major cross-border incursion and drone attacks including on Moscow, oil refineries in southern Russia and a fuel depot near a strategic bridge that links Russia's mainland with Crimea. Russia says Ukraine was behind the attacks, including on the Kremlin last month. Kyiv denies it.

Russia suspended participation in the U.N.-brokered Black Sea grain deal after what it said was a Ukrainian drone attack on vessels in the Bay of Sevastopol in the early hours of Saturday. What do we know so far? WHAT HAPPENED? Russia said 16 air and maritime drones attacked civilian and Black Sea Fleet vessels in the Bay of Sevastopol in Crimea at 0420 Kyiv time on Saturday. Russia said all nine of the air drones were destroyed. Four of the seven maritime drones were destroyed on the outer perimeter of the bay, but three more made it inside before they were destroyed, Russia said.

Danish police have over the weekend received reports of drone activity near the Roar gas field in the North Sea, a police spokesperson said on Tuesday. The Roar field is next to Denmark's largest gas field, Tyra, both of which are operated by TotalEnergies.Denmark has, like some other countries in the region, raised its emergency preparedness level for its power and gas sector after several countries said two Russian pipelines to Europe leaking gas into the Baltic Sea had been subject to sabotage.

Remotely piloted aircraft are assisting Spanish authorities in actively monitoring sulphur emissions from ships transiting one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.Over the summer the European Maritime Safety Agency’s (EMSA) aerial drones have been monitoring the level of sulphur oxides released by ships transiting the Strait of Gibraltar. The operation carried out by the Spanish General Directorate of Merchant Marine  – under the direction of the Spanish Ministry of Transport…

Leading German freight forwarder Hellmann will start using unmanned planes operated by Bulgaria's Dronamics from next year to speed up deliveries of vital goods in Europe and work around stretched supply chains, executives involved say.Global disruptions due to COVID, reduced air activity and major congestion at ports due in part to backed up container ships have upended logistics networks over the past year with companies looking for ways to ease pressure.Hellmann Worldwide Logistics said using drone planes developed by Dronamics was "a real game changer"."At the moment we are seeing a lot of

U.S.-based seabed survey company Ocean Infinity, is, together with the University of Portsmouth, Airborne Robotics, and Bentley Telecom, working to develop an autonomous offshore wind farm inspection capability utilizing aerial drone swarms deployed from an uncrewed marine robotic vessel.Using 5G and satellite connectivity, the project will see a swarm of drones autonomously inspect wind turbines subsequently removing the need for manual, human inspection, Ocean Infinity, a company that is currently building a fleet of unmanned surface robots - the Armada - said.As part of the project…

NATO Maritime Air (MARAIR) Operations team carried out a communications test flight with the NATO Alliance Ground System (AGS) during its flight on February 25, 2021.As the AGS was flying over the Central Mediterranean, MARAIR based out of NATO Maritime Command headquarters in Northwood, U.K. was able to establish a communications link to the AGS operators in the Sigonella Airbase, NATO Air Command and Combined Air Operations Center Torrejon.MARAIR was able to cross-reference the AGS sensor data with their automatic identification system (AIS) picture…

The Korean Register (KR) said it has completed its first hull inspection survey using both aerial and crawler drones for the intermediate survey of bulk carrier Pan Global.The survey, which was completed Tuesday with the assistance of POSSM Co, Korea’s largest ship management company, and HST Technology, who provided the remote inspection technology.KR’s surveyors have been using remote inspection technology such as drones for surveys since 2017. The equipment allows the surveyor to inspect the vessel without requiring direct access.

Wilhelmsen’s Marine Products division signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Singapore-based drone delivery startup F-drones, for last mile delivery of its 3D printed spare parts.As the only drone delivery provider currently authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to execute drone deliveries beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) to vessels at anchorage, the agreement with F-drones enables Wilhelmsen to broaden the scope of its exclusive on-demand additive manufacturing service…

Allseas' giant Pioneering Spirit offshore construction and decommissioning vessel last week provided a stage for what is believed to be the Netherlands’ first drone to vessel delivery.Mobilizing in Rotterdam’s Alexiahaven for upcoming platform removal projects, the 382 meters long, 124 meters wide vessel last week received a special aerial package containing spare parts.The drone delivery was a test, set up by Dutch Drone Delta (a consortium promoting the use of drones), the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Allseas.

A consortium of five universities, including Heriot-Watt University, working with 35 industrial and innovation partners, has unveiled the latest results from its research collaboration.The largest academic center in the world for research into robotics technology for offshore energy infrastructure, the ORCA Hub’s aim is to advance robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies for the inspection, repair, maintenance and certification of offshore energy platforms and assets.Creating solutions to some of the most challenging, hard to reach and hazardous real-world problems in the energy sector, ORCA Hub was launched in October 2017.

The SAFIR consortium of partners – Amazon Prime Air, Aveillant, C-Astral, DronePort, Elia, Explicit, Helicus, Port of Antwerp, Proximus, SABCA, Skeyes, Tekever and Unifly – tested the first simultaneous drone flights today in Sint-Truiden DronePort, for among other things package deliveries, inspection flights and emergency situations. European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc also followed the demonstrations from the front row. SAFIR stands for "Safe and Flexible Integration of Initial U-space Services in a Real Environment," a project funded by the EU.After the first trial round in Sint-Truiden, the press is invited to watch…

UK-based autonomous work-boat company SEA-KIT said that its Maxlimer could be the first unmanned surface vessel across the Atlantic.The British drone ship is set to sail from the coast of Canada and attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean for Great Britain this fall in a voyage that could bring crewless cargo ships closer to reality.According to The Daily Beast, the Atlantic crossing is scheduled for sometime in the first half of 2020. Since Maxlimer has a range of 12,000 nm with its twin diesel engines, the journey is well within its technical specifications, and it is expected to take about one month to complete the voyage.The Maxlimer…

The global unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) market was around USD 2.92 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach approximately USD 7.64 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of slightly above 14.91% between 2018 and 2025.The global unmanned underwater vehicles market is growing, owing to its rising applications in the defense and military sector, scientific research applications, and commercial purposes, said a report from Zion Market Research.Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), also referred to as underwater drones, are vehicles that can operate underwater without any kind of human interference.The rising demand for these vehicles in navel applications for safety and security purposes is another major factor driving the unmanned underwater vehicles market growth.

A seven-meter (23-foot) long, wind-powered unmanned surface vehicle (USV) called a saildrone has become the first unmanned system to circumnavigate Antarctica.The vehicle, known as SD 1020, was equipped with a suite of climate-grade sensors and collected data in previously unchartered waters, enabling new key insights into ocean and climate processes.The 196-day mission was launched from Southport in Bluff, New Zealand, on January 19, 2019, returning to the same port on August 3 after sailing over 22,000 km (13,670 miles) around Antarctica. During the mission, the vehicle survived freezing temperatures, 15-meter (50-foot) waves, 130 km/h (80 mph) winds…

The Port of Amsterdam announced a pilot project deploying a sailing drone that inspects the depth of marginal ships at the locks of IJmuiden, in a bid to gain experience in new technologies in nautical processes.The pilot has been set up with a view to gaining more information and experience regarding sailing drone technology. This development together with autonomously sailing vessels will have a great impact on future nautical processes.The experiment last week (8 to 13 July) took the first steps in examining the impact, the potential of the technology for Port of Amsterdam and the steps Port of Amsterdam has to take to prepare for a more structural deployment in the future.The pilot has been set up in collaboration with Seabed.