Stark unveils autonomous unmanned surface vessel Vanta 12 with range of up to 1,200 nautical miles
Drone Industry
German defense company STARK, which has an R&D center in Ukraine, has unveiled the Vanta 12, an autonomous unmanned surface vessel (USV) for reconnaissance, surveillance, and countering maritime threats.
The Vanta 12 is 12 meters long, can reach speeds of up to 40 knots, and has a range of up to 1,200 nautical miles. The USV can carry a payload of up to 2 tonnes and remain at sea continuously for several weeks.
The platform combines autonomous navigation, artificial intelligence-based systems and a modular architecture. Depending on the mission, the USV can be equipped with various sensors and electronic warfare systems.
Ten Cascade loitering munitions developed in-house by Stark have already been integrated onto the platform and launched from it. In addition, the Vanta 12 has been equipped with four MBDA Sea Venom guided anti-ship missiles, which are already in service with NATO forces.
The unmanned surface vessel can therefore conduct reconnaissance, patrol maritime areas and track potential threats, as well as employ weapons.
"The war in Ukraine has shown how quickly unmanned systems can change the situation at sea. For Europe, this is particularly relevant where large maritime areas require continuous monitoring and critical infrastructure needs protection. The Vanta 12 makes it possible to maintain a presence at sea for extended periods, conduct reconnaissance and respond quickly to suspicious activity. Such systems allow greater control over maritime areas without increasing the number of crewed vessels," said Maksym Cherkis, COO of Stark Ukraine.
The company links growing demand for unmanned maritime systems to increasing hybrid threats, ranging from risks to undersea cables and energy facilities to the use of civilian vessels for intelligence gathering.
These challenges are particularly relevant in the North and Baltic Seas, where energy and subsea digital infrastructure critical to Europe is concentrated.
"Hybrid threats are challenging because they often have no clear starting point. Suspicious activity near a cable or an energy facility does not in itself mean an attack, but it is important to detect it in time, monitor how the situation develops and be able to respond quickly. A continuous presence and surveillance at sea are therefore becoming increasingly important for protecting critical infrastructure. Given the growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles, maritime electronic warfare capabilities are becoming equally important," Cherkis added.
The Vanta 12’s capabilities have already been demonstrated during REPMUS, NATO’s largest exercise involving robotic and unmanned maritime systems. The vessel successfully completed a series of mission scenarios in coordination with crewed and unmanned platforms.
To scale up production of the Vanta family, Stark is working with Germany’s Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft (FSG). The partners plan to expand the industrial base for producing the platforms in Germany and other European countries.
About Stark
Stark is a European defense technology company that develops and manufactures unmanned systems for air and maritime operations, as well as software to control them. The company operates in Germany, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Greece and Sweden. Its products include Virtus, Gambit and Cascade loitering munitions, the Vanta family of unmanned surface vessels and the Minerva control platform.
