Netherlands orders Saab's Skeldar V-200 helicopter drones to strengthen anti-submarine warfare in North Sea.

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has awarded UMS Skeldar Sweden AB a contract for an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) UAV system to strengthen North Sea maritime surveillance, Intelligence Online revealed on October 27, 2026. Possibly published initially under an EU tender notice on October 14, the sole-source award addresses heightened security concerns around critical subsea energy pipelines and infrastructure. The procurement expands the Royal Netherlands Navy's unmanned rotary-wing capabilities alongside the Belgian-Dutch rMCM program, though exact UAV quantities, contract values, and ASW sensor packages remain undisclosed.

In December 2025, Dutch and Belgian Navy personnel conducted their first joint Skeldar V-200 training flights at Ursel airfield in Belgium, focusing on manual and automated flight procedures, operator qualification and maintaining flight proficiency. (Picture source: Dutch MoD)

On October 27, 2026, Intelligence Online revealed that the Saab subsidiary UMS Skeldar secured a contract from the Netherlands for unmanned helicopters, likely to strengthen the Royal Netherlands Navy's anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities in the North Sea, particularly near offshore energy installations, subsea pipelines and electricity interconnectors exposed to potential Russian submarine activity. The reported acquisition follows the Netherlands' participation in the €1.8 billion Belgian-Dutch Replacement Mine Countermeasures (rMCM) program, which includes ten Skeldar V-200 helicopter drones and 12 new naval vessels.

The Skeldar V-200 weighs up to 245 kg, carries 40 kg of mission equipment, reaches 140 km/h and has a data-link range exceeding 100 km, with an endurance exceeding six hours depending on payload. The contract's value, number of helicopters, delivery dates and sensor configuration remain undisclosed. No Dutch installation of acoustic receivers, sonobuoy dispensers or dipping sonar has been confirmed, leaving unresolved whether these helicopters will independently detect submerged submarines or improve surface surveillance and communications support to existing ASW forces.

Related topic: Unmanned Skeldar V-200 helicopter drone takes central stage at BEDEX 2026 as navies expand maritime surveillance

The October 2026 contract follows UMS Skeldar's July 8, 2020, selection by ECA Group for the Belgian-Dutch Replacement Mine Countermeasures (rMCM) program, awarded in 2019 to Belgium Naval & Robotics, a consortium formed by Naval Group and ECA Group, subsequently Exail, after a competition involving four industrial consortia and some 2,500 operational, financial and industrial requirements. The €1.8 billion acquisition covers six Belgian City-class and six Dutch Vlissingen-class vessels, replacing the Tripartite-class and Alkmaar-class minehunters, together with unmanned systems, simulators, command equipment and ten years of maintenance. Notably, the program includes ten Skeldar V-200 helicopters, but their final distribution between the two navies has not been established, and these units may be distinct from the unmanned helicopters purchased under the October 2026 contract.

However, it is known that the original V-200 requirement concerned aerial reconnaissance, floating-mine detection and communications relay for Inspector 125 unmanned surface vessels (USVs). The newer acquisition may also form part of a broader NATO effort to counter Russian submarine activity and protect critical underwater infrastructure in the North Sea, complementing the recent investments in maritime surveillance, additional coastal and offshore radars, and underwater threat detection. The Skeldar V-200 is a single-main-rotor unmanned helicopter measuring 4.0 m in length, 1.2 m in width and 1.3 m in height, with a 4.6 m rotor diameter and a maximum take-off weight of 245 kg. Its 40 kg payload represents 16.3% of maximum weight, limiting combinations of sensors, mounting hardware and electronics. Its 55 hp Hirth direct-injected, two-stroke twin-cylinder engine operates on Jet A-1, JP-5 or JP-8, and provides a maximum speed of 140 km/h, a service ceiling of 3,000 m and more than 100 km of data-link range.

Although endurance exceeds six hours in certain configurations, Belgian Navy training in December 2025 established an operational figure of up to four hours with certain equipment combinations. At a patrol distance of 100 km, flying at 140 km/h would consume 86 minutes in transit, leaving a theoretical 154 minutes on station during a four-hour sortie or 274 minutes during a six-hour sortie, excluding reserves and weather effects. The unmanned helicopter also requires a 15 × 15 m operating area, can be prepared for take-off in less than 15 minutes and incorporates redundant fuel, electrical and flight-control systems. The V-200 incorporates two main mission equipment positions, with the forward location intended for electro-optical sensors and the central bay accommodating tactical multi-intelligence equipment or synthetic aperture radar.

What the Skeldar V-200 can detect at sea and how far it can fly

Available payloads include daylight and infrared cameras, LiDAR, AESA synthetic aperture radar with maritime moving-target indication and wide-area surveillance, and COMINT/RADINT equipment for detecting communications and radar emissions. The ViDAR, which combines optical imagery with automated object detection, offers another potential maritime detection option, while electronic warfare equipment can support signal disruption when installed. These sensors can identify surface vessels, floating objects, exposed submarine masts and maritime activity near infrastructure, but logically cannot continuously track submarines operating fully submerged. The 40 kg payload limit also constrains combinations of optical, radar and potential acoustic equipment. No Dutch sonobuoy launcher, acoustic receiver, dipping sonar, magnetic anomaly detector or torpedo installation has been confirmed.

Consequently, the available public information about the new contract does not yet establish whether the V-200s will generate underwater contacts independently or transmit surveillance information to ships and aircraft already equipped for submarine detection. However, the V-200's automatic take-off and landing system supports recovery on moving ship decks in 25-knot winds and NATO Sea State 3-4, including reduced visibility conditions within operating limits. Two to four personnel normally operate the helicopter through shipboard or containerized Remote Pilot Stations, using manual controls, programmed routes or Point-and-Fly and Point-and-Look commands. Its data link exceeds 100 km and can relay communications between naval vessels and remotely operated craft, although effective range depends on altitude and antenna geometry.

Captain Eric Toebast of the Dutch Defence Materiel and IT Command identified communications relay as its principal role in the rMCM program, supporting the planned inventory of 15 Inspector 125 minehunting vessels and two minesweeping variants. These unmanned surface vessels deploy or tow underwater equipment beyond the immediate vicinity of their motherships. The same relay architecture could therefore connect dispersed ASW units, but a 100 km communications range does not constitute a submarine detection radius, and acoustic data exchange would require compatible processing and command systems. For their part, the Belgian City-class and Dutch Vlissingen-class vessels measure 82.6 m in length, 17 m in beam and 3.8 m in draught, displacing 2,800 tonnes with a maximum speed of 15.3 knots and a range exceeding 3,500 nautical miles.

How the Skeldar V-200 works with the Belgian and Dutch minehunting fleets

Their standard crew of 33 can increase beyond 60 with mission specialists. Diesel-electric propulsion uses ABC generators, electric motors and Wärtsilä shaft equipment, complemented by bow and stern thrusters. Their mission systems combine Naval Group's Polaris, Exail's UMISOFT, Thales NS50 AESA radar and Terma Scanter 6000 radar. The unmanned Toolbox includes Inspector 125 surface vessels, A18-M underwater vehicles with UMISAS synthetic aperture sonar, T18/T18-M towed sonars, SEASCAN identification vehicles, K-STER mine-neutralization systems and the Skeldar helicopters. Stern cranes, gantries and a full-width hangar support unmanned operations. Under this arrangement, underwater vehicles detect and classify mines while the V-200 provides reconnaissance and communications, allowing the mothership to remain outside minefields. The existing sonar equipment, consequently, is optimized for detecting and classifying mine-like objects rather than continuously tracking maneuvering submarines.

The first Belgian vessel, M940 Oostende, was handed over on November 7, 2025, followed by the Dutch M840 Vlissingen in February 2026 and the first unmanned Toolbox in March 2026. Belgium also began V-200 training at Ursel in December 2025 with two helicopters and supplier-provided control stations, concentrating on flight procedures, automated routes and operator qualification. Initial shipboard integration was scheduled for 2026 aboard the third Belgian vessel, M941 Tournai, followed by retrofits to the first two ships. By June 2026, two motherships and one Toolbox had been delivered, but software integration and coordination between unmanned systems remained incomplete. Commander Pierre Van Engeland identified these functions as the principal challenges ahead of an end-to-end demonstration targeted before the end of 2026.

Kership, the Naval Group-Piriou joint venture, manages vessel construction at Concarneau and Lanester, supported by modules from Poland and Romania, while Exail integrates unmanned systems at Ostend. Deliveries of all 12 ships extend through 2030, whereas the separate October contract has no confirmed V-200 delivery or integration schedule. For Dutch North Sea operations, the V-200's potential contribution could forms part of a wider effort to close gaps in North Sea surveillance, particularly against Russian naval activity near offshore energy installations, subsea cables and pipelines. Since July 2023, the Dutch Navy has maintained a permanent North Sea security mission, including the monitoring and escort of non-NATO vessels through the Dutch Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Why the Netherlands is expanding drone surveillance in the North Sea

On January 21, 2026, for instance, the Navy confirmed that the chartered DSS Galatea had escorted four Russian vessels in two separate operations, including the now-defunct Steregushchy-class corvette Boiky and the tanker General Skobolev, while two dedicated multifunctional support vessels were expected to enter service in 2027. The V-200 acquisition also coincides with two complementary surveillance investments. On February 12, 2026, the Dutch government initiated a €50 million to €250 million radar procurement to detect small vessels under 50 m, including those operating without Automatic Identification System (AIS) transmissions.

Then, on July 16, 2026, the Ministry of Defence contracted Dutch company Optics11 to develop Anti Submarine Warfare in a Box (ASWinaBo), a compact, fiber-optic towed acoustic system intended to detect and locate crewed and uncrewed submarines, surface vessels, divers and torpedoes from naval ships or unmanned craft. Within this surveillance architecture, a V-200 carrying maritime radar, EO/IR and electronic intelligence equipment could logically extend surface-contact detection beyond a ship's radar horizon, while a hypothetical ASW-configured V-200 could potentially contribute to underwater contact localization if fitted with compatible sensors.

The distinction is important because radar can help identify vessels conducting reconnaissance or operating near critical infrastructure, whereas acoustic equipment is required to maintain contact with submerged submarines. A further hint to a possible ASW configuration lies in a Dutch procurement notice, officially titled Anti Submarine Warfare UAV, which was published on October 14, 2026, and awarded directly to UMS Skeldar Sweden AB through a negotiated procedure without prior competition on technical exclusivity grounds. Therefore, until drone quantities, sensor selections and operating arrangements are officially confirmed, the newly revealed contract establishes an expansion of Dutch unmanned maritime surveillance rather than a new submarine-detection capability.

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Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.