German company “Stark” is developing an unmanned ship that will track Russian shadow fleet vessels

German defense startup “Stark Defence” plans to launch a 24-meter-long unmanned vessel next year, which will be used to protect undersea cables and monitor Russiaʼs shadow fleet.

This is reported by Bloomberg.

The new vessel “Vanta 24” will be able to carry up to 50 tons of cargo, including missiles and cannons. It will reach speeds of over 64 kmph and operate without a crew on board.

The “Stark Defence” CEO Uwe Horstmann presented the development on November 3 at the Bloomberg Tech London conference. According to him, such systems cost about a thousand times less than a conventional frigate with a crew, which takes years, not months, to build.

The company will develop the “Vanta 24” in the UK and Germany. Former British nuclear submarine commander Stephen Bryan has been appointed to lead “Stark” maritime division. The vessel will be able to escort warships or independently monitor the coast and underwater infrastructure.

The company explains the development by the growing threats to European infrastructure and the activity of Russian ships in the Baltic and North Seas. In particular, the countries of Northern Europe are strengthening maritime deterrence, and the United Kingdom detained a sanctioned oil tanker this summer.

• “Stark Defence” was founded in 2024 to produce attack drones. In June 2026, the company was valued at €3.2 billion and its staff had grown to over 700 employees.

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