Airbus U030 Flexrotor enters maritime surveillance service in Baltic Sea

Airbus Helicopters’ U030 Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system (UAS) has entered operational service with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), conducting maritime surveillance missions in the Baltic Sea.

The initial deployment, which began in July, covers waters around Estonia, Latvia, and Finland. The system is being used to support national authorities with missions including search and rescue, fisheries control, environmental monitoring, and detection of illicit maritime activity.

Airbus Helicopters was awarded a €30 million framework contract by EMSA in December 2025 to provide remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) services for multipurpose maritime surveillance across the European Union. Operator Extensee is responsible for flying the U030 Flexrotor, while Airbus manages and coordinates operations under the EMSA framework.

The Baltic deployment followed a series of test flights designed to validate technical and regulatory requirements and support the handover to Extensee.

“We are pleased to see the U030 Flexrotor begin operational service under the EMSA framework, marking its first operational deployment in Europe,” said Victor Gerin-Roze, Head of Uncrewed Aerial Systems at Airbus Helicopters.

The UAS carries electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) and radar payloads, with operational intelligence streamed in real time to the EMSA RPAS Data Centre. Participating authorities can monitor missions live and incorporate the resulting information into their operational workflows.

The framework is intended to support multiple simultaneous maritime surveillance operations across participating European countries.