US company Saildrone has unveiled the closing of a $60 million investment round led by the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) to support maritime defense in Europe.
As disclosed, investment will be used to bring Saildrone technology to Europe to address the urgent need for maritime security for critical infrastructure and wider defense applications.
According to Saildrone, the Baltic, North Sea, and European Arctic waters are currently facing unprecedented threats, and the need for persistent maritime domain awareness has never been greater.
The company’s unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) use sensors, combined with proprietary AI algorithms, to give a full picture of the maritime environment above and below the sea surface.
“I am thrilled to partner with EIFO and the Danish government to establish Saildrone’s European headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone’s founder and CEO.
“Denmark’s unique geographic and political position at the heart of northern Europe makes it the perfect place to establish our European headquarters and operational hub.”
Jenkins said that the firm plans to work with the Danish Armed Forces and expand Saildrone’s maritime intelligence services to multiple NATO countries over the course of the year. He stated that the goal is to provide continuous, year-round coverage for all critical infrastructure within the Baltic and North Sea, in order to safeguard these highly valuable installations for both current and future generations.
In addition to EIFO, other participants in the round included existing investors Lux Capital, Washington Harbor Partners, Crowley, and Academy Securities, joined by new investors Pinegrove, BZH Capital, What If Ventures, and Calm Ventures.
“We are thrilled to invest in Saildrone and subsequently that Denmark has been chosen as the center for Saildrone’s European activities. Saildrone is a leading company in a rapidly growing market, and gaining access to this technology can become critical for both Denmark’s and Europe’s security. We expect Saildrone will have an impact on both the Danish defense industry and the Danish challenges with surveillance in the Arctic and counteracting sabotage in Danish waters—at a fraction of the cost of a patrol ship,” said Peder Lundquist, CEO of EIFO.
Saildrone will deploy the first four Saildrone Voyagers in the Baltic Sea in June 2025, under contract to the Danish Armed Forces.
Saildrone Voyager is a 10-meter vehicle designed to support distributed maritime operations by monitoring critical areas. The USV is equipped with ‘advanced sensors, radar, and communication systems’, and can detect suspicious vessels, track their movements, and relay near real-time intelligence into a common operating picture for action.
In 2023, classification society ABS issued the first-ever class certificate for a commercial, uncrewed surface vehicle to Saildrone Voyager.
Earlier on, the company revealed it has deployed 20 USVs equipped with upgraded sensors to assist the US Navy in monitoring illegal activity along the southern maritime borders.
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