Defence firm KNDS launches suicide drone with startup SeaOwl

By Florence Loeve

PARIS, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Franco-German defence group KNDS and French startup SeaOwl on Tuesday launched a new suicide surface drone aimed at navies seeking protection against a growing number of drone attacks on ports and vessels.

Drones are increasingly being used to attack port infrastructure and commercial shipping, including oil tankers and container vessels in the Middle East and the Black Sea since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

• Tank maker KNDS will produce the 30 kilogramme explosive payload carried by an unmanned vessel built by SeaOwl, the companies said in a statement.

• The suicide drone, so named because it destroys itself once used, can be deployed in swarms, launched from heights of up to seven metres and become operational within seconds using a dedicated launcher, or alternatively be deployed without one, said SeaOwl Technology managing director Mathieu Glade

• "When facing an incoming drone targeting a major port or a large oil terminal that needs protecting, the most effective way to respond is with another surface drone capable of moving extremely quickly to intercept and counter it", Glade said.

• The firm is talking with potential clients in several European and Middle-Eastern countries

• The solution is more sophisticated than the surface drones Ukraine currently produces, said Glade. Among its competitors, he cited Turkish defence group Aselsan.

(Reporting by Florence Loève, Editing by Louise Heavens)