Seadrone completes the tests of an unmanned ship for NATO

The company delivers electric and solar boats to the Balearic Islands

In full swing in Europe for the transformation of the naval sector, Seadrone finalizes the tests of an unmanned surface ship for NATO. The shipyard from Vigo, specialized in the development of marine vehicles without a physical crew, will complete the tests of the Sead 23 in the waters of northern Portugal next week. The company will submit its design to the Dynamic Messenger 2022 exercise organized by the Atlantic Alliance, to advance and streamline autonomous piloting in different missions.

The ship is seven meters long and weighs just under two tons. Last week, those responsible for the project were at the Portuguese Hydrographic Institute to include a detailed bathymetry sonar in the Sead 23. "It is a very precise system that is used to sweep an environment, obtain its relief and data in a short period of time," says Íñigo Echenique, founding naval engineer of Seadrone, who refers to the fact that these developments are used in military exercises. and helps to protect ships or act as an escort during voyages. It reaches a speed of 34 knots and is developed to operate in an integrated manner with conventional naval vehicles, such as the BAM Audaz, on board which tests will be carried out next week.

"Our intention is to produce it in series in 2023," explains Echenique about a project that started in 2019 and that in a few days will know the final verdict of the Ministry of Defense and NATO. The forecasts are encouraging due to the good results obtained in Troia last year. The company from Vigo, which has nine employees and is located in Sárdoma, has designed, built and tested a total of five models of unmanned boats with lengths between three and ten meters.

(Source: La Voz de Galicia)