Maritime drones and naval UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) have been specially designed to operate at sea and over the ocean. They are engineered to withstand extremes of weather, including heavy rain and winds, and must be resistant to salt spray in addition to regular moisture ingress.
Unmanned helicopters are a popular Maritime UAS (MUAS) platform, as their VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) operation allows them to be easily deployed from a small footprint on the deck of a ship. Fixed-wing maritime UAV can also be launched via catapult launcher, or a runway on larger vessels, and can also launch from land.
Anavia’s HT-100 Long-range maritime drone
Payloads
Maritime drones may be equipped with a variety of payloads, including EO/IR (electro-optical/infrared) gimbals that allow them to provide surveillance and search for objects on the surface of the water. ViDAR (Visual, or Video, Detection and Ranging) technologies are a form of optical radar that extend the imaging and search capabilities of maritime UAS by allowing them to scan a wide area of ocean with a larger field of view.
Maritime UAS can be used for a wide variety of both civilian and military applications. Offshore use is becoming more common, as drones are ideal for performing offshore inspection of wind farms and oil rigs, as well as delivering supplies to remote offshore platforms.
Used by first responders in search and rescue operations to locate people and shipwrecks in large areas of open water, maritime UAV are also used for many law enforcement and security applications, such as:
Steadicopter’s Black Eagle Electric VTOL UAV for naval, maritime and coastal missions
Naval Drones
Naval UAV provide tactical situational awareness and ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) to navy vessels and fleets. They may be able to network with other naval assets such as USV (unmanned surface vessels) and AUV (autonomous underwater vehicles) to provide a multi-domain capability that can share information.
Small tactical UAS for long-range reconnaissance missions
Small tactical UAS for long-range reconnaissance missions
...aerial system (UAS) for extended reconnaissance missions. With an unmatched 28 hours of continuous... ... comprehensive UAS solution featuring a long-endurance UAV, ground control system, catapult...
Long-range fixed-wing UAS for naval & maritime surveillance
Long-range fixed-wing UAS for naval & maritime surveillance
...nce fixed wing UAS optimized for ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance), border patrol,... ...EO/IR sensors, maritime radar, SAR (synthetic aperture radar), SIGINT and AIS. It can also be fitted...
Marine Instruments and CENTUM are collaborating to equip the M5D-Airfox drone with airborne signal intelligence, enhancing maritime surveillance and rescue missions
GA-ASI has demonstrated new targeting capabilities for its MQ-9B SeaGuardian® UAS, enhancing maritime mission effectiveness through in-flight updates and ISR integration
GA-ASI has successfully demonstrated the first-ever Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability on an MQ-9B SeaGuardian® UAS, deploying and testing anti-submarine sensors during trials conducted in January 2025
AeroVironment is introducing the JUMP 20-X, a next-generation VTOL UAS optimized for autonomous maritime missions, ISR operations, and precision strike capabilities in contested environments
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