Denmark is deploying floating drones in the Baltic Sea to protect undersea infrastructure and strengthen maritime surveillance amid growing threats.
The 'sailing drones', to be supplied by Saildrone, a US company based in California, have drawn criticism in Denmark for forging closer ties with the US in the sensitive area of digital security.
The response comes amid rapidly shifting alliances, evolving technology and ongoing tensions between Copenhagen and Washington after Donald Trump threatened to seize Greenland, which is part of the Danish kingdom.
The 10-meter-tall unmanned vessels, known as “sail drones,” resemble sailboats but are designed solely to collect data. Using onboard artificial intelligence, the sail drones compile data using multiple sensors, cameras and radars to produce a more detailed picture of marine activity than satellites can provide.
But the partnership with the US company has raised concerns among Denmark's tech leaders.
Jacob Herbst, chairman of the Danish Cyber Security Council, said: “With the international situation we are currently seeing, you clearly need to think very carefully when choosing American suppliers in this area.”
Floating drones can be powered by diesel, wind and solar energy and can remain at sea for more than a year, but their average deployment time is 100 days. Covering the entire Baltic would require 10 to 20 sailing drones.
