The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, FMV, signed the framework agreement on behalf of the Swedish Armed Forces through Nordic Defence Cooperation, or NORDEFCO. The vessels have supported Swedish naval surveillance since October 2026, and the agreement allows additional craft to be included.
“This is fundamentally not about four unmanned vessels, but about access to sustained intelligence collection at sea,” said Johan Wahren, project manager at FMV. “In other words, we are purchasing a persistent maritime surveillance service, and Saildrone provides the vessels that supply the Navy with data.”
The Swedish Navy sets mission requirements and receives information around the clock, while Saildrone deploys, maintains and operates the vessels. The arrangement provides sustained coverage without requiring Sweden to deploy additional crewed ships.
Cameras, radars and other sensors detect nearby vessels and support checks on their identities and positions. The information can be compared with Automatic Identification System transmissions to identify ships broadcasting inaccurate details or locations.
The 10-metre Voyagers rely mainly on wind propulsion, with solar panels supplying electricity to onboard electronics. They also carry a small engine and fuel tank and operate autonomously within assigned missions under continuous supervision by Saildrone personnel.
“This mission reflects Sweden’s commitment to securing the Baltic Sea and highlights Saildrone’s growing operational presence across Northern Europe,” said Robert Kleist, Saildrone’s European managing director. The company described Sweden’s mission as its first national deployment under the NORDEFCO framework.
“Sweden is investing in year-round maritime awareness as an operational capability. The NORDEFCO framework gives Nordic nations a common mechanism for accessing that capability while allowing each country to define and operate its own mission.”
The vessels also contribute to NATO Allied Command Transformation’s Task Force X Baltic initiative, which aims to accelerate the development of uncrewed maritime surveillance. That initiative began under Baltic Sentry to improve monitoring and protection of critical undersea infrastructure following cable breaks in 2024 and 2025.
The four Voyagers are registered in Denmark and operate under the Danish flag, providing a flag-state framework for international operations. Saildrone said further national deployments under NORDEFCO would follow, while its European operation plans to register additional vessels in the coming weeks.
