The EUROGUARD consortium, funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF) and composed of 27 organizations across 10 EU Member States, held its third workshop from October 30th to October 31st, 2024 in Oslo, Norway. The workshop was hosted by Kongsberg Maritime and led by Thoralf Ruud, project coordinator at Kongsberg Maritime, along with coordination team from Baltic Workboats.
The primary objective of this workshop was to review and achieve consensus on the design paths for the Prototype Vessel and present the outline of the Generic European Naval System Architecture (GENSA). This initiative forms part of a broader European effort to develop a modular and semi-autonomous surface vessel platform, enhancing sea defence capabilities across Europe.
Over the course of two days, key discussions focused on GENSA’s functional architecture and its application to the prototype vessel, which is set to enter the production phase by 2025. Damen led the discussions over operational concept and the high-level requirements for the prototype vessel. On Day 2, Kongsberg and consortium partners presented the consolidated design of the Prototype Vessel, including its architecture, navigation system, and green propulsion technology, as well as its advanced sensor suites and mission modules for increased situational awareness, mission-specific operations, and defence. Given the critical nature of software and data reliability for unmanned vessels, the consortium focused also on data management, software deployment, and orchestration. Remote-controlled functionality, together with secure communication, was also addressed as a critical feature, as these technologies are essential for unmanned or lean-manned operations.
“This project marks a significant leap forward in advancing Europe’s naval capabilities by fostering innovation in modular and autonomous vessel designs,” noted Sverre Rye Torben, Director of Research & Innovation in Kongsberg Maritime. “We are confident that through our collaboration, we will create a cutting-edge platform capable of meeting modern maritime challenges.”
The EUROGUARD project is expected to deliver a vessel capable of autonomous navigation, threat detection, and mission-specific operations. The design prioritizes modularity, allowing flexible assembly for varied missions, and incorporates green propulsion technologies to align with Europe’s environmental goals.
This workshop also set the stage for the upcoming milestones and the critical design review, ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned on project goals. The workshop concluded with a collaborative session to plan future milestones and finalize key aspects of the prototype.
About EUROGUARD:
EUROGUARD is a project funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF) within the 2021-2027 framework, aimed at strengthening Europe’s defence capabilities through innovative naval technologies. The project focuses on the development of modular, semi-autonomous surface vessels, integrating advanced remote-control systems and sustainable propulsion solutions to address modern maritime security needs.
The specific capabilities of the prototype will be determined through multi-year research and development activities, but in general, the vessel should be capable of autonomous navigation, obstacle and threat detection, collision avoidance, and other mission-specific tasks. The prototype must adhere to the principle of modularity, allowing it to be assembled according to specific needs or tasks. The data centric architecture and software deployment and orchestration flow will provide software modularity and reliability Innovation is also expected in the propulsion system, with environmental sustainability being an important keyword.
About European Defence Fund (EDF):
The European Defence Fund aims to strengthen the European defence industry and promote research and development in the field. The fund supports the development of innovative projects and the creation of unified defence capabilities across Europe.
