Helsing unveils new underwater drone

Berlin: German defence company Helsing, which specializes in AI technology, has developed an underwater drone that can be deployed to protect ships and critical infrastructure, the Munich-based firm said on Tuesday.

Dubbed SG-1 Fathom, the autonomous underwater glider is capable of patrolling “for up to three months at a time in search of underwater threats,” Helsing said in a press release.

The company also unveiled the Lura software platform and advanced AI system which deploys on the drone and is able to detect and classify sounds made by ships and submarines “with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy” thanks to a large acoustic model similar to language models.

“Lura’s use of a large acoustic model enables it to detect acoustic signatures 10x quieter than other AI models, even differentiating between specific vessels from within the same class, and at a speed up to 40x faster than human operators,” Helsing said.

According to the company statement:

Hundreds of SG-1 Fathoms can be deployed for each mission, operating with Lura on the edge to autonomously detect, classify, and report threats at scale and in near real time. The combined system creates a constellation of mobile sensors across any body of water – equivalent to satellites in the skies – digitalising the oceans and redefining maritime surveillance.

A single operator can task and monitor hundreds of gliders from a Maritime Headquarters, receiving accurate intelligence at 10% of the cost of crewed Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) patrols.

Lura and SG-1 Fathom can be rapidly deployed – as a contracted service or operated by Navies themselves – in any areas of strategic importance, from the North Sea and Baltic to the deep oceans of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.

The company also makes the HX-2 kamikaze drone, which is used by Ukraine.

“Lura detects [threats] so our navies can deter,” said co-founder and co-chief executive Grundbert Scherf.

“We must harness new technologies to keep pace with the threats against our critical infrastructure, national waters, and way of life. Deploying AI to the edge of underwater constellations will illuminate the oceans and deter our adversaries, for a strong Europe.”

Western countries have been looking for ways to protect pipelines and data cables on the seabed from sabotage, attacks and spying attempts for some time.