Saildrone Timeline

Events

• 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
• 2026-08-17 - 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
• 2026-04-01 - 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
• 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
• 2023-06-07 - 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
• 2020-07-17 - 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
• 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
• 2019-01-30 - 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