US Saildrone expands manufacturing across Europe

US maritime technology company Saildrone is expanding its footprint in Europe with the opening of a new headquarters in Copenhagen and three new construction contracts in Norway, Poland, and the Netherlands.

The company said the expansion will strengthen its capacity to manufacture, deploy, operate, and support uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) for customers across Europe.

“We are proud to announce not one, but three large construction projects. The first 52-metre Saildrone Spectre will be built at Van Der Valk Shipyard in the Netherlands; the next generation of the Saildrone Surveyor will be produced at Umoe Mandal in Norway; and Southern Spars will produce Surveyor wings in Poland,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO.

“Our EU Headquarters in Copenhagen will facilitate business development, maintenance operations, and piloting activities throughout our European operations,” he added.

The company said its European infrastructure will provide regional capabilities for building and supporting its autonomous maritime fleet.

“Saildrone USVs have helped governments around the world to improve maritime domain awareness and to protect critical marine infrastructure. We are pleased to bring that proven capability to our European partners facing many of the same challenges,” said Robert Kleist, managing director of Saildrone Europe.

“Bringing Saildrone manufacturing and operations to Europe creates an enduring sovereign capability for our European customers,” Kleist added.

The Copenhagen headquarters establishes a permanent base for Saildrone’s operations in Northern Europe. The company is recruiting staff in mission management, vehicle assembly and servicing, technical operations, and piloting to develop local capabilities.

Defence Industry Attaché His Royal Highness Brigadier General Prince Joachim of Denmark officially opened the facility during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 17, attended by Saildrone executives and employees, Danish stakeholders, and NATO customers.

The headquarters is located at the historic Quintus Bastion in Holmen, Copenhagen, a site dating back to the 17th century that previously served as the headquarters of the Royal Danish Navy.

“It is fantastic to see Saildrone’s European headquarters located here in this historic naval site in Central Copenhagen,” Prince Joachim said at the ceremony. “Saildrone brings some of the latest maritime sensing technology to Denmark, which will certainly help protect our shared European waters against the many real threats we face today.”

Saildrone currently operates more than 70 autonomous vehicles worldwide across four classes: the 7-meter Explorer, 10-meter Voyager, 20-meter Surveyor, and 52-meter Spectre.

The company began expanding into Europe in April 2025, when it established a European subsidiary following a $60 million funding round led by Denmark’s Export and Investment Fund, EIFO. Operations in Danish waters began two months later.

Four Saildrone Voyager USVs subsequently completed a six-month deployment for the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO), achieving 92% fleet uptime in challenging weather and sea conditions while detecting more than 170,000 unique contacts.

Saildrone is set to further promote its European operations at DALO Industry Days in Herning on August 19–20, where it will showcase its USVs and meet with defence stakeholders from Denmark and other European countries.

By Vafa Guliyeva