Remember that thing we said about contested environments being the talk of the town? Turns out Saildrone agrees. This morning, the unmanned surface vessel (USV) company announced that it is deploying software on its Voyager vessels that enables them to operate in GPS-denied environments.
The software was successfully deployed and tested as part of the US Navy’s Task Force 59 (TF59) in the Middle East.
“Satellite positioning and connectivity can no longer be relied upon in potential future conflicts,” Saildrone CEO Richard Jenkins said in a statement about the software update.
Swarms at sea: US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) established Task Force 59 (TF59) in 2021 to integrate autonomous maritime capabilities into naval operations in the Middle East. The task force operates out of the US 5th Fleet and aims to increase maritime awareness and deter malign behavior (for example, from Iran and the Houthis) in places like the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
- TF59 carried out large-scale Digital Horizon exercises in 2022 and 2023 with companies including Saildrone, Shield AI, and Anduril. The exercises integrated both aerial and maritime drones.
- TF59 drones have been paired with manned vessels in the region for joint operations in maritime chokepoints, including the Red Sea.
- The drones have been successful at tracking everything from Iranian naval activity to weapons smuggling to Yemen.
State of denial: The problem is, Iran (and other adversaries) are getting way, way better at jamming these drones.
- Iranian forces have used electronic warfare (EW) to disrupt unmanned operations in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, especially in waters close to Iran.
- In August 2022, Iranian forces tried to capture Saildrone vessels deployed with TF59. Two Explorer USVs were temporarily taken before being released.
- Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have also demonstrated burgeoning EW capabilities that can overwhelm USVs. They also carry out direct attacks by aerial drones.
Navigating chaos: That’s what makes GPS-denied capabilities so important, according to Saildrone. The company’s new software uses multiple different forms of localization to navigate, which allows it to keep on keepin’ on even when it loses connection with the satellites necessary for GPS.
During this year’s international maritime exercise (IMX 2025) in the Middle East, Saildrone says its unmanned vessels were the only ones that could keep operating when targeted by EW.