Bus-Sized Uncrewed Airship Being Tested By NATO As Maritime Surveillance Platform
The trials comes amid a growing need for systems that can provide a persistent capability to monitor oceans and other bodies of water.
Howard Altman, Tyler Rogoway
Published Sep 17, 2025 8:28 PM EDT
NATO is testing an airship to see if it can provide maritime domain awareness.
Kelluu
An uncrewed hydrogen-powered autonomous surveillance airship the size of a small bus has been floating over Portuguese waters, collecting imagery of ships and other objects. The goal of these test flights is to see if this airship can provide NATO with situational awareness of the maritime domain.
The flights are part of the alliance’s annual demonstration seeking new robotic technology to boost its defenses. The airship is one of several systems that NATO is evaluating during this exercise, which is called Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Unmanned Systems (REPMUS) 25 and Dynamic Messenger (DYMS) 25. NATO is also trialing unmanned surface and underwater vehicles, as well as other aerial ones, as part of the exercise.
The airship being tested is made by the Finnish Kelluu company, which also operates the aircraft. It is one of about 10 that are providing imagery and other sensing capabilities for commercial and scientific purposes. With NATO already conducting maritime security missions, the company sees a potential military role for its airships to provide persistent, low-level surveillance.
https://www.twz.com/air/bus-sized-uncrewed-airship-being-tested-by-nato-as-maritime-surveillance-platform
