FOUNDED BY STICHTING PROTECT UKRAINEAUTONOMOUS
RIVERINE
VESSELS
High-performance unmanned surface vehicles engineered for littoral defense and long-range logistics. Built in conflict. Refined for global security.
[ ACTIVE_DUTY ]
River Whale
THERMAL + DAY OPTICS
Tactical agile interceptor. Gas and steering control with thermal + day cameras, Starlink and short-range RF. Currently deployed with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
- Propulsion50HP outboard, gas
- OpticsThermal + day camera
- ControlStarlink + short-range RF
- StatusField operational
[ IN DEVELOPMENT ]
RIVER WHALE XL
45+ KN / 24+ HR · TARGETS
115hp outboard modular platform. Semi-V hull, deck rail system for ISR, security, and support payloads. Autonomous or remotely operated.
- Hull6.2 m semi-V
- PayloadUp to 1.2 t
- Endurance24+ hours
- StatusIn development
Control Stack
Gas + steering control with low-latency teleoperation. Tested in contested EW environments.
Optics
Thermal and day camera arrays for round-the-clock target identification and navigation.
Hybrid Comms
Starlink primary link with short-range RF fallback. Mission continues when one path degrades.
Covered by national press. Recognised by the Dutch engineering community.
From NOS national news to the Prins Friso Ingenieursprijs — the Netherlands' Engineer of the Year award — the work behind Aquadrone has been documented across Dutch broadcast, print, and trade press.
NOS
BNR Nieuwsradio
KIVI
De Ingenieur
Financieel Dagblad
Hart van Nederland
TU Eindhoven
Land+Water
Duurzaam Ondernemen
Deze Nederlandse 'aquadrone' moet ervoor zorgen dat er minder Oekraïners sneuvelen
Read article→Ingenieur van het Jaar Martijn Otten — In het Defensief
Read article→Engineer of the Year 2026 — Martijn Otten wins Prince Friso Engineering Award
Read article→Impact maken, levens redden — portret Martijn Otten
Read article→Op weg naar de hel — convoy reportage Oekraïne
Read article→Royal visit at the Prince Friso Engineering Prize 2026 ceremony
Read article→Aquadrone demonstratie — haven Wassenaar
Read article→Otten bekroond — technische excellentie + maatschappelijke betrokkenheid
Read article→Martijn Otten wint Prins Friso Ingenieursprijs
Read article→
Save lives in Ukraine. Build sovereign drone-technology and production capability in the Netherlands and Europe. Supporting Ukraine and building European capability are not two missions — they are the same mission.
Read the full mission →
The Origin
Born in Ukraine. Built for allied defence. Aquadrone was started as a volunteer engineering project to supply USVs to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We are now scaling and professionalising it — same hardware, industrial standards, available to allied operators.
River Whale & River Whale XL — named by the Ukrainian crews operating them.
Defense Procurement
Establish a partnership →