Helsing has unveiled an artificial intelligence (AI)-based underwater surveillance system to detect threats with low-acoustic signatures like stealth submarines.
The system comprises the SG-1 Fathom autonomous underwater glider and the Lura software platform.
Based on a large acoustic model, the Lura can classify and localize acoustic signatures of naval platforms 10 times quieter than other AI models, the Munich-based firm stated.
It can even pick out specific vessels from within the same class and at a much faster rate than human operators, it added.
“Lura detects so our navies can deter. We must harness new technologies to keep pace with the threats against our critical infrastructure, national waters, and way of life,” co-founder and co-CEO of Helsing Gundbert Scherf said.
“Deploying AI to the edge of underwater constellations will illuminate the oceans and deter our adversaries, for a strong Europe.”
SG-1 Fathom Underwater Glider
The Lura is deployed from the SG-1 Fathom glider, which can patrol the waters for three months at a stretch.
The glider is reportedly nearly 2 meters (6.5 feet) long and has a top speed of about 3 knots (5.5 kilometers/3.45 miles per hour).
Moreover, it can reportedly operate at a depth of 1,000 meters (3,281 feet).
Mass Surveillance
Underwater surveillance has acquired more importance since the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage.
The Helsing offering can be deployed en masse for autonomous detection, classification, and reporting of underwater threats at scale in real time.
A single operator can task and monitor hundreds of AI-equipped gliders from a maritime headquarters at a fraction of the cost of crewed anti-submarine warfare patrols.
“To protect ourselves from increasing threats, especially underwater, we must do defence differently,” Helsing Maritime general manager Amelia Gould said.
“The UK has a proud history of maritime innovation and must never stand still.
At Helsing, we know how important it is to learn and adapt from each mission. Lura and SG-1 will form an ever-evolving mission cycle, learning from each deployment to iterate at the pace of the threat – a true 21st-century defence capability.”
