NATO countries take part in maritime drone exercises in Den Helder

Special units from 17 NATO countries conducted exercises with sea drones in Den Helder on Wednesday. Part of the testing involves examining whether unmanned vessels could play a role in safeguarding underwater infrastructure from Russian sabotage, which reportedly took place several times in the Baltic Sea last year.

“We want to stay ahead of our enemy,” Italian Admiral Max Rossi told the ANP. “We need to find the best technological way to protect our essential infrastructure, and we are here to experiment and put field lessons into practice.”

The exercise, called Bold Machina, will continue for a week and was organized by the Netherlands. In addition to the special forces, many private companies are present at the naval base in Den Helder to showcase their technologies and how these can contribute to the development of maritime drones and the protection of infrastructure.

One example is the Dutch firm CEAD, which brought a large 3D printer enabling the military to refine the design of their maritime drones. Printing two vessels takes roughly eight hours, after which they can be launched into the water for immediate testing. The design can then be modified as required before producing the next drone.

Ukrainian special units also participated in the exercise. The country has frequently employed sea drones throughout its war with Russia and is regarded as a leader in developing new technologies, according to NATO commanders.

A member of the Ukrainian unit said that his country has a lot to offer NATO and is pleased that the alliance wishes to learn from its expertise. “It is good that all countries are working together to create a definitive solution, so that we won’t have to start over if another country is attacked.” According to him, NATO need not fear Russia, as that country is considered to be far behind in the development of maritime drones.

NATO is also conducting exercises aimed at protecting cables and pipelines from potential Russian sabotage. Since previous incidents did not involve sea drones but rather the anchors of cargo ships, the systems are being used to detect a wide range of sounds with sensors and radar.

This should make it possible to identify anchor drops at suspicious times and even detect the presence of divers in time. Participating companies say this technology could make it possible to safeguard all underwater infrastructure.