Saildrone, a maritime defense company, unveiled a new class of unmanned surface vessels built specifically for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), marking a major shift for a firm best known for wind and solar-powered ocean research platforms. 

The new vessel, called Spectre, is designed to track submarines over long distances while remaining quiet and difficult to detect, and it is expected to begin sea trials in early 2027.

From ocean research to defense missions

For more than a decade, Saildrone has deployed autonomous sail-powered vessels for ocean mapping, climate data collection, and maritime monitoring. The company is now adapting that platform for military use, responding to rising demand for persistent, low-cost surveillance systems at sea.

The Spectre was introduced at the Sea-Air-Space Exposition on Monday. Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins said the company is now expanding beyond its traditional sail-powered design.

“While the Saildrone wing is very good for very long endurance, we do appreciate what other roles require more stealth, more speed, and don’t have a mission requirement for that exceptional endurance without the wing,” Jenkins told reporters.

He also noted that Spectre reflects years of operational experience rather than a rushed defense contract response.

“Spectre is the result of 25 years of continually pushing the boundaries of what’s possible,” Jenkins said.

A 170-foot unmanned submarine hunter

The Spectre is about 170 feet long (54 meters) and displaces around 275 tons. It can reach speeds of up to 30 knots (about 35 mph or 56 km/h), making it the fastest and heaviest platform Saildrone has built so far.

Both variants of the vessel are designed for long endurance missions of up to 8,000 nautical miles (about 9,200 miles or 14,800 km) and can carry payloads of up to 55,000 pounds (25 metric tons). This includes modular mission systems such as sensors or containerized equipment.

The company said two configurations are being developed, one optimized for stealth endurance and the other for higher-speed strike and patrol roles. The design has already received Approval in Principle from the American Bureau of Shipping, confirming compliance with high-speed naval craft standards.

Two designs, two propulsion strategies

The Spectre Silent Endurance version uses a 140-foot (43-meter) composite wing for wind-assisted propulsion. This enables extremely quiet movement across oceans, making it suitable for long-duration submarine tracking missions where acoustic stealth is critical.

The Spectre Stealth Strike variant removes the wing and instead uses diesel engines paired with electric propulsion. This version can sprint up to 27 knots (31 mph or 50 km/h) and operate silently at around 12 knots (14 mph or 22 km/h) using electric drive.

The firm revealed both configurations are designed to reduce acoustic signatures, a key requirement for anti-submarine warfare missions where detection depends heavily on sound profiles in the water.

Defense partnerships and production plans

Saildrone is working with Lockheed Martin to integrate mission systems and autonomy software into the Spectre platform. Paul Lemmo, vice president and general manager at Lockheed Martin, described the approach as a way to increase naval presence at a lower cost.

“Lower-priced way to put more players on the field,” Lemmo said.

The vessels will be built at Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyards in Wisconsin, which are expected to produce up to five units per year. Each Spectre is estimated to cost around $40 million.

The maritime defense company is self-funding the program and has already spent two years on design and testing. The company says this phase has “entirely de-risked” the platform ahead of production.