DIODON announces the launch of Vigilansea, the most ambitious program in its history, designed to enable persistent UAV × USV operations for surveillance and inspection missions at sea.
This three-year initiative, funded by the French government under France 2030, is led by DIODON in partnership with SeaOwl Technology Solutions and ISAE-SUPAERO.
Scaling UAV × USV interoperability
Vigilansea builds on DIODON’s long-standing work in aerial–surface interoperability and naval systems integration.
The program focuses on two core technological building blocks:
A new-generation maritime UAV designed for long-endurance operations in open seas;
An onboard autonomous UAV station enabling launch, recovery, recharging and operational conditioning directly from a USV: the DIODON REEF.
Together, these systems are designed to enable repeated high-sea mission cycles without human intervention.
The project also includes the development of a dedicated SeaOwl USV optimized for autonomous UAV deployment, supported by ISAE-SUPAERO’s expertise in aerodynamic optimization and advanced flight control.
Building on Operational Validation
Vigilansea is rooted in concrete operational experimentation.
In 2024, DIODON demonstrated advanced C2 interfacing capabilities during Dronathlon, integrating UAV data flows within an operational architecture supported by onboard communication systems, including satellite connectivity.
In 2025, participation in NATO’s Task Force X Baltic confirmed DIODON’s hardware integration expertise through the rapid development and deployment of the DIODON Launcher, enabling maritime UAV operations from multiple USVs.
At the same time, DIODON’s expertise in designing natively maritime aerial drone has addressed a key interoperability constraint: the UAV’s ability to withstand the harsh marine environment of USV operations (watertightness, positive buoyancy, structural robustness, resistance to corrosion, sea spray, wind, and waves).
Toward persistent autonomous maritime presence
The objective of Vigilansea is clear: combine the endurance of an autonomous surface platform with the ISR reach of a maritime UAV to enable sustained maritime presence.
By integrating autonomous deployment, recovery, onboard recharging and resilient communication architectures, the program aims to move from validated interoperability toward true operational persistence at sea.
Within this architecture, the UAV becomes a remote sensor extending surveillance from open seas to coastal zones, accelerating detection and identification processes while reducing human exposure in complex environments.
The resulting capability supports:
Maritime surveillance and counter-trafficking operations ;
Protection of critical offshore and coastal infrastructure ;
Environmental monitoring and pollution detection ;
Maritime safety and security missions across extended maritime zones.
“The control of maritime spaces has always been a central strategic challenge. Today, however, the scale of the areas to be monitored and the intensity of maritime activities make it a challenge of an entirely different magnitude. Ensuring extended and sustained coverage requires complementing human assets with collaborative, integrated robotic solutions.”