The Airbus U030 Flexrotor has begun maritime surveillance operations in the Baltic Sea on behalf of the European Maritime Safety Agency, marking the tactical uncrewed system’s first operational deployment in Europe, according to Airbus.
The deployment began in July covering Estonia, Latvia and Finland, and supports national authorities with maritime surveillance. It follows a €30 million framework contract awarded to Airbus Helicopters in December 2025 to provide remotely piloted aircraft systems services for multipurpose maritime surveillance across the European Union, with Extensee as sub-contracted operator.
Operations started after a series of test flights to validate technical and regulatory milestones ahead of entry into service, and to support the handover to Extensee.
Victor Gerin-Roze, Head of Uncrewed Aerial Systems at Airbus Helicopters, said: “We are pleased to see the U030 Flexrotor begin operational service under the EMSA framework, marking its first operational deployment in Europe and supporting the critical mission of enhancing maritime surveillance.”
He added: “The start of operations in the Baltics demonstrates its ability to operate effectively in diverse maritime theatres while supporting critical coast guard functions. Through this contract, we contribute to protecting Europe and strengthening its sovereignty, and we take pride in this commitment.”
The service provides operational intelligence gathered through electro-optical, infrared and radar payloads, streamed in real time to the EMSA remotely piloted aircraft data centre. Airbus says this allows participating national authorities to follow missions live and integrate the information into their operational workflows.
According to the company, the system supports coast guard functions including search and rescue, fisheries control, environmental monitoring and the detection of illicit maritime activity. Airbus Helicopters manages and coordinates the operations under the EMSA framework, allowing deployment across multiple simultaneous operations in participating countries, with the aircraft themselves flown by Extensee.
The U030 Flexrotor is a vertical take-off and landing system with a maximum launch weight of 25kg and an endurance in excess of 12 hours in standard configurations. It conducts autonomous launch and recovery from land or sea within an area of 3.7 by 3.7 metres, a footprint small enough to allow operation from vessels without flight decks.
The Baltic has become a focus of surveillance activity following a series of incidents involving damage to undersea cables and pipelines, and concerns over the movement of sanctioned oil tankers through the region. NATO launched Baltic Sentry in January 2025 to increase monitoring of critical undersea infrastructure, drawing on frigates, patrol aircraft and uncrewed systems from allied nations.
The Flexrotor was developed by the American company Aerovel, founded by Tad McGeer, who had earlier pioneered the Insitu ScanEagle. Airbus acquired Aerovel in 2024 and has since redesignated the system under the U030 name as part of a wider renaming of its uncrewed range to align with its helicopter and fixed-wing product naming.
