Saildrone, Alameda, Calif., has entered a strategic partnership with Palantir Technologies to integrate artificial intelligence into autonomous maritime surveillance systems. The collaboration aims to enhance the scalability and efficiency of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) used for maritime security operations.
Saildrone operates a fleet of more than 150 USVs, providing intelligence to the U.S. Navy, Department of Homeland Security, and international partners. These autonomous platforms use AI-driven technology to monitor surface and sub-surface activities, including narcotics trafficking, illegal fishing, and potential adversary submarine activity.
A Saildrone press release highlighted “With more than 70% of Earth’s surface covered by ocean, illegal and nefarious actors routinely go unnoticed because a US or allied asset is not there to see them. Multi-mission naval assets—stretched thin between high-stakes operations and vast open-water patrols—struggle to balance wide-area surveillance with their critical duties.”
Saildrone designs, builds, and operates its USVs from its facility at the former Naval Air Station Alameda. The company sources aluminum hulls for its 65’ Surveyor class from Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., with the first launched this month. Composite boat builders in Mississippi and Washington contribute to the production of the 33’ Voyager class.
The partnership with Palantir will integrate AI cloud infrastructure into Saildrone’s operations. The goal is to improve manufacturing, supply chain efficiency, and real-time tasking of autonomous assets.
Saildrone has collected a maritime intelligence dataset covering nearly 2 million nautical miles over the past decade, the press release highlighted. Saildrone said Palantir’s AI will combine this proprietary dataset with external sources to improve surveillance, targeting, and intelligence capabilities.
“As global threats continue to evolve, we’re seeing rapidly increasing demand for our maritime security solutions. Leveraging Palantir’s sophisticated manufacturing and AI tools will allow us to streamline manufacturing and radically enhance fleet capabilities,” said Saildrone founder and CEO, Richard Jenkins. “While others make promises about tomorrow's technology, we face complex global threats today. This partnership with Palantir ensures we deliver solutions today that outpace tomorrow’s threats,” he said.
Also this month, Saildrone is launching two of its Saildrone Voyager USVs from its facility in St. Petersburg, Fla., to begin a mapping mission as part of the Florida Seafloor Mapping Initiative (FSMI),
The Saildrone USVs will collect high-resolution multibeam data in a region known as Middle Grounds. The $1.66 million mission will map 2,817 square kilometers of seafloor about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northwest of St. Petersburg.
