The American company Saildroneknown primarily for its ocean research platforms, has pivoted toward maritime defense by introducing a new class of unmanned surface ship (USV) developed specifically for anti-submarine warfare. The new USV is called Specter and is designed to track submarines over long distances without being detected, Defense News reports.
The Specter was revealed Monday at the show Sea-Air-Space Exposition. The founder and CEO of Saildrone, Richard Jenkinsstated in the presentation that the company is expanding its focus beyond its traditional rigid sail design.
For more than a decade, Saildrone has deployed wind-powered autonomous vessels to map oceans, collect climate data and conduct maritime surveillance. Given the increase in demand for persistent and low-cost surveillance systems at sea, the Californian company is adapting that platform for military use.
‘Although the Saildrone’s rigid sail works very well for very long ranges, we understand that Other missions require more stealth, more speed and do not need that exceptional autonomy that sailing provides.‘, pointed outJenkins to reporters. Also that it is not an improvised response to a defense contract, but that ‘Spectre is the result of 25 years continually expanding the limits of the possible.’
The Specter measures about 54 meters in length and displacement around 275 tons. It can reach speeds of up to 56km/hmaking it the fastest and heaviest platform built by Saildrone yet.
The two variants of the Specter
The company has explained that it is developing two configurations. One is optimized for resistance and stealth and the other for attack and patrol functions at higher speeds. Both are designed for long duration missions of up to 14,800 kilometers and can carry payloads of up to 25 tons. This includes modular mission systems, such as sensors or containerized equipment. The Specter has already received preliminary approval from the US naval classification body, confirming that it meets the standards applicable to high-speed naval vessels.
Specter Silent Endurance Use a rigid sail 43 meters that takes advantage of the wind to propel itself. This allows movement extremely quiet across the oceansmaking it suitable for extended submarine tracking missions where acoustic stealth is critical.
The variant Specter Stealth Strike eliminates the rigid sail and uses instead diesel engines combined with electric propulsion. This version can reach a top speed of 50km/h and operate in silence at some 22km/h by electric propulsion.
The company notes that both configurations are designed to reduce the acoustic signature, a key requirement in anti-submarine warfare missions, where Detection depends largely on the sound profile in the water.
Saildrone works with Lockheed Martin to integrate mission systems and autonomy software into the Specter platform. Paul Lemmovice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin, describes this approach as a way to increase naval presence at a lower cost. ‘It’s a cheaper way to put more players on the field’says Lemmo in a statement.
The boats will be built in the shipyards Fincantieri Marinette Marinein Wisconsin, which plan to produce up to five units per year. It is estimated that each Specter will cost about 40 million dollars.
Saildrone is financing the program with its own resources and has already dedicated two years to design and testing. According to the company, this phase has ‘completely de-risked’ the platform prior to production.