Saildrone announces major European expansion with local production, operations, and business development

Saildrone has announced a major expansion of its European footprint, with multiple new manufacturing locations and operation centres. The expansion includes the official opening of Saildrone’s EU headquarters in Copenhagen and three separate European build contracts in Norway, Poland, and the Netherlands.

“We are proud to announce not one, but three large construction projects. The first 52-meter Saildrone Spectre will be built at Van Der Valk Shipyard in the Netherlands; the next generation of the Saildrone Surveyor will be produced at Umoe Mandal in Norway; and Southern Spars will produce Surveyor wings in Poland,” said Richard Jenkins, Saildrone founder and CEO. “Our EU Headquarters in Copenhagen will facilitate business development, maintenance operations, and piloting activities throughout our European operations.”

These significant investments establish extensive regional capacity to build, deploy, operate, and support Saildrone unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) for European customers. 

“Saildrone USVs have helped governments around the world to improve maritime domain awareness, counter drug trafficking, migrant crossings, and illegal fishing, and protect critical marine infrastructure. We are pleased to bring that proven capability to our European partners facing many of the same challenges,” said Robert Kleist, managing director of Saildrone Europe. “Bringing Saildrone manufacturing and operations to Europe creates an enduring sovereign capability for our European customers.”

The Copenhagen office provides a permanent base for Saildrone operations in Northern Europe. New roles in Mission Management, Vehicle Assembly & Service, Technical Operations, and the Pilot Team will build local capability to deploy, operate, and support Saildrone USVs directly from Denmark.

Defence Industry Attaché, His Royal Highness Brigadier General Prince Joachim of Denmark officiated the ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 17, joined by Saildrone leadership, employees, Danish stakeholders, and NATO customers. The office is located at the historic Quintus Bastion in Holmen, Copenhagen. Dating to the 17th century, the site once served as the headquarters of the Royal Danish Navy.

“It is fantastic to see Saildrone’s European headquarters located here in this historic naval site in Central Copenhagen,” said Defence Industry Attaché, His Royal Highness Brigadier General Prince Joachim at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Saildrone brings some of the latest maritime sensing technology to Denmark, which will certainly help protect our shared European waters against the many real threats we face today.”

Saildrone designs, builds, and operates the world’s most tried and trusted USVs, with a fleet of over 70 Saildrone vehicles globally deployed, operating 24/7/365. Saildrone has four classes of USV, the 7-metre Explorer, the 10-metre Voyager, the 20-metre Surveyor, and the 52-metre Spectre.

Saildrone announced the establishment of a European subsidiary in April 2025, with support from a $60 million funding round led by EIFO – the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark, and began operating in Danish waters two months later. Four Saildrone Voyager USVs supported the Danish Ministry of Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO), completing a six-month deployment with 92% fleet uptime in harsh weather and sea states while detecting more than 170,000 unique contacts.

Following the Copenhagen opening, Saildrone will participate in DALO Industry Days in Herning on August 19 – 20, where the team will showcase Saildrone USVs and meet with Danish and European defense stakeholders.

Saildrone is currently recruiting for multiple Copenhagen-based technical roles: saildrone.com/eu-en/careers/available-jobs