German startup develops unmanned vessel to monitor Russia's shadow fleet and protect undersea cables

The vessel, called Vanta 24, is designed to operate in the Baltic and North seas, where European countries have raised concerns about Russian naval activity and suspected sabotage of underwater infrastructure.

According to Stark, the vessel will be capable of carrying up to 50 metric tons of payload, including missiles and naval guns, and reaching speeds exceeding 64 kilometers per hour without a crew on board.

Stark CEO Uwe Horstmann said the company aims to offer a significantly cheaper and faster alternative to conventional warships.

"Those are systems that cost a thousandth of the price of a manned frigate, which takes years to produce," Horstmann said, adding that the company's vessels could be deployed within months.

The Vanta 24 is intended to escort military ships or independently monitor coastlines, subsea cables and other maritime infrastructure.

Stark plans to develop the vessel in Germany and the United Kingdom. The company has appointed Stephen Brian, a former Royal Navy nuclear submarine commander, to lead its naval operations.

"We're trying to move the sailor from the dull and the dangerous," Brian told Bloomberg.

The project comes amid growing European concern over Russian hybrid warfare, including suspected sabotage, cyberattacks and threats to critical infrastructure.

Stark, founded in 2024 to manufacture strike drones, has already designed two smaller unmanned vessels. It is also developing an electronic warfare sensor that the company says can detect transmitters and radar systems up to 100 kilometers away.

The startup reached a valuation of €3.2 billion in June 2026 and employs more than 700 people. Its investors include Sequoia Capital and Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.

However, analysts caution that scaling up from small drones to larger maritime platforms presents significant engineering and manufacturing challenges. Stark has not disclosed the planned price of the Vanta 24.