Unmanned surface vessel Vanta 24: Stark unveils autonomous warship for the Baltic Sea

With the Vanta 24, the German defence company Stark is adding another unmanned surface vessel to its family of uncrewed surface craft. The new system is defined by a length of 24 metres, modular armament and AI-assisted control. It is intended above all to strengthen the combat power of NATO naval forces in the Baltic Sea.

The Vanta 24 is being developed as a new, autonomous unmanned surface vessel (USV). It is designed specifically around the demands of modern naval warfare.

The background is the tense security situation on NATO's northern flank. In the Baltic Sea in particular, three tasks are becoming more prominent: securing strategically important sea lanes, protecting critical underwater infrastructure and supporting the Baltic allies.

Stark has designed the platform, around 24 metres long, as a modular capability carrier. It can operate on its own or together with crewed warships. It is being built primarily for operations in the Baltic Sea, but is also intended for use in the North Sea, the North Atlantic and the Norwegian Sea.

Effectors from anti-ship missiles to loitering munitions

The vessel is to carry a range of sensors and effectors, including anti-ship missiles and Cascade, a loitering munition developed in-house by Stark. Beyond reconnaissance tasks, the Vanta 24 is thus intended to take part in engaging targets and to complement the combat power of crewed naval units. Multi-domain operations are also planned for a later stage.

At the heart of the technology is Minerva, software that Stark developed itself. It handles autonomous navigation, perception of the surroundings and collision avoidance, even when satellite navigation is jammed. Minerva also enables task-based mission command, with operators tracking how far the task has already been completed.

Because the architecture is software-based, new sensors and weapon systems are expected to be added comparatively easily, without fundamental modifications to the platform.

Unmanned surface vessel in a task group: one operator commands many capabilities

Johannes Schaback, the company's Chief Technology Officer, explains the rationale: “The security situation in Europe calls for a significant strengthening of our maritime defence and deterrence capability. With Vanta 24, Stark aims to support the development of a powerful, networked and scalable maritime fleet. This is not about replacing crewed warships, but about extending their combat power within the task group. The real leap in capability lies in the software: in future, an operator will not command a single vehicle, but many different capabilities that have to be deployed collaboratively. The decision on the use of force remains with humans.”

The Vanta 24 joins a USV family that already includes the smaller Vanta 6 and Vanta 12 platforms. All three systems share the Minerva AI and software architecture, through which they are also to be deployed as a network.

The Vanta 24 is being built in cooperation with Germany's FSG Shipyard. The new system is intended to become a further building block for developing scalable, unmanned maritime capabilities in Europe.