KNVTS TekTalk: Unmanned vehicles in naval warfare

Over the course of recent years, a revolution has been underway in the modern naval battlefield. On the 1st of February of this year, a video surfaced on the internet of the sinking of the Russian Navy’s Tarantul Class corvette “Ivanovets” by the Ukrainian armed forces. Since then, the use of these unmanned assets by the Ukrainian military has shown unprecedented success. The operational impact of unmanned surface drones on the modern naval battlefield cannot be understated.

In this TekTalk, jointly organized by KNVTS and KIVI Martec, Rui Costa will take us by the hand through the history of unmanned systems in Naval Warfare, the current developments and challenges in technology, and the outlook of innovations, countermeasures, and the opportunities for non-governmental applications.

Rui Costa is a gifted speaker and publisher on this topic. Currently working at Damen Naval in Vlissingen, he joined the organization in 2023 after a career in the Portuguese Navy. Rui will be our guide and source of information, but we aim to have an open discussion to share and gain insights.