Germany unveils long-endurance Greyshark underwater drones

EUROATLAS, the German advanced defense technologies company, has announced the launch of its new GREYSHARK family of autonomous underwater vehicles, introducing two multi-mission platforms designed for long-range underwater intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

The company says the new Bravo and Foxtrot AUVs will provide militaries and critical-infrastructure operators with persistent underwater awareness at a time when threats to subsea cables, pipelines, and shipping lanes are rising worldwide.

According to EUROATLAS, both variants carry an integrated suite of 17 sensors that collect data continuously during deployment. The company says the AUVs are intended for mission-critical underwater operations, including “monitoring the integrity of undersea cables, minesweeping, and reconnaissance.”

The systems are built on a modular AI software stack developed with EvoLogics, enabling long-range, high-endurance missions in contested maritime environments.

The announcement comes after a series of disruptions to submarine cables in 2024 in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, which highlighted the growing role of hybrid warfare and the vulnerability of undersea infrastructure. Recent attacks on commercial shipping and rising tensions in the Red Sea have also underscored the need for persistent ISR in high-risk regions.

EUROATLAS describes GREYSHARK as a platform designed for multi-mission roles. Capabilities include long-term inspection of subsea assets, over-the-horizon reconnaissance of vessel activity, channel and coastal clearing using active sonar, and detection of hostile underwater sensors. The company says these tasks can be conducted without risking human crews or major naval resources.

Driven by the AI-enabled mission stack, GREYSHARK vehicles operate at Level 5 autonomy, meaning they can function under all conditions without human intervention. They can also reconfigure their mission profiles remotely based on new data, without surfacing. According to EUROATLAS, “a cable surveillance mission could change to submarine detection” in real time.

The Bravo variant is battery-powered, while the Foxtrot uses a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain. The Foxtrot is built for extreme endurance, able to travel for up to 16 weeks underwater and cover as much as 11,000 nautical miles at 4 knots without external communication links. Both AUVs share the same sensor architecture and mission payloads and can be launched from ships, aircraft, or coastal sites.

EUROATLAS says the vehicles can operate individually or as part of a swarm. Up to six AUVs could coordinate to maximize coverage by self-organizing or working under a pre-defined master unit. The AUV swarm is compatible with other maritime and land-based systems, forming what the company describes as a “combat cloud” that links submarines, frigates, and ground communication nodes.

GREYSHARK vehicles can navigate using GNSS signals such as GPS in open water and can operate independently in GNSS-denied environments, including under Arctic ice. Their ability to map seabeds, patrol polar regions, and perform ISR over long distances is designed to give users persistent visibility across sensitive maritime corridors.

In a statement, EUROATLAS CEO Eugene Ciemnyjewski said: “In a changing world, global affairs are contested on multiple fronts. EUROATLAS responds to such challenges with GREYSHARK: a force multiplier that offers elevated protection across maritime operations.” He added that the company, supported by its partner network, “can scale production to enhance autonomous underwater capabilities across NATO and partner nations at an accelerated rate.”

EUROATLAS says the Bravo variant has completed sea testing and is production-ready. The Foxtrot variant will begin open-water trials by the end of the year following integration of its fuel-cell system. Both systems are manufactured in Europe, and the company plans to reach a production capacity of 150 units per year by 2026 to support NATO and allied maritime security needs.