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Policy·P Space·Evidence-backed problem·Published 2026-07-16

Robots, AI and drones: how the Dutch navy is using tech to transform its sea defences

On each side of the target ship, a black vessel keeps a watchful distance. Defender 1 and Defender 2 are the eyes and ears of the navy – but they have nobody onboard, and their paths are controlled by a computer system. This is the future of the Royal Netherlands Navy, according to Capt Sjoerd Feenstra, head of the expertise centre for unmanned systems. He is leading a five-week mission, off the coast of Den Helder in the north of the country, to test the limits of systems that operate without the human touch. “…

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Robots, AI and drones: how the Dutch navy is using tech to transform its sea defences
The quick read

In July 2026 the Royal Netherlands Navy began a five-week trial off Den Helder to test uncrewed surface vessels, aerial drones and underwater mine mappers operating as a coordinated system controlled by software, with the GeoSea vessel as a test base. The effort is part of a plan to have more than half of naval work done by uncrewed systems within five years and to eventually surround crewed ships with autonomous rings.

The shift matters because it could reduce exposure of sailors to hazardous tasks while handling growing demands for information and endurance, but it raises unresolved questions about reliability and accountability when AI generates false results. The navy says a person remains in the decision chain and that autonomy will be limited to appropriate functions, leaving open where culpability lies if automation fails.

Main points
  • The Royal Netherlands Navy is running a five-week trial off Den Helder testing Defender uncrewed surface vessels, Noa drones and a Lobster Robotics mine mapper from the GeoSea vessel.
  • Capt Sjoerd Feenstra said the aim is for crewed platforms to be surrounded by a ring of uncrewed systems operating as autonomously as possible within about 10 years.
  • The Dutch military budget aims to use uncrewed systems for more than half of its work within five years, mirroring wider NATO investment in autonomous sea systems.
Problem

AI used in the uncrewed systems can hallucinate and generate false results, creating risk of technical failure during autonomous operations.

The rundown

Off Den Helder, the navy is testing a 'system of systems' where Defender 1 and Defender 2 uncrewed surface vessels, carbon-fibre Noa drones and a high-altitude bat-like drone are cued by a single command to monitor a target ship, with paths controlled by a computer system.

The GeoSea vessel, previously used to monitor seabed around windfarms, now serves as the test base, designed so new models can be swapped in as technology advances, a model noted by analysts as influential for North and Baltic Sea security collaboration.

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