Protecting Ukraine's coastal cities, particularly Odesa, from kamikaze drone attacks requires new solutions. Existing air defense systems have limitations when operating over the Black Sea. To fill this gap, the Danish company BlueShadow has developed an innovative system called Blue Dragon.

The project involves a swarm of autonomous unmanned surface vessels capable of destroying enemy drones at a distance of 10–20 km from the coastline. This was stated by Charles Maher, founder and CEO of BlueShadow, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

Distributed Intelligence Technology

The Blue Dragon system is based on two key components that ensure its effectiveness. The first is the C4ISR technological platform. It acts as a link, connecting swarms of unmanned vessels with higher-level command and control systems such as Delta, Krapyva, and SkyMap. The platform enables two-way data exchange: the system receives information from external sources and transmits data obtained by its own sensors back to them.

The second element is the Blue Shadow Edge technology. This is an autonomy module installed on each vessel. It allows the flotilla to act as a single squadron united by a common operational picture. Thanks to this, the vessels can independently make decisions to optimize combat engagement without constant human intervention.

If the system detects the approach of "Shaheds" along a certain vector, it instantly redirects individual units or the entire swarm to that location. Each vessel engaging a target calculates the probability of its destruction. The swarm decides which specific ships will participate in the battle, followed by target detection, tracking, and classification, as well as damage assessment.

Modularity and Scalability

The main advantage of the system lies in its scalability. According to Charles Maher, the software can process practically an unlimited number of targets thanks to distributed sensing and powerful computing. The only real limitation is the physical number of vessels and interceptors on board.

The unmanned surface vessels themselves are designed on a modular principle. They can be equipped with various combat modules depending on the task:

  • Quadcopter drones for point interception;
  • Missiles and machine guns for fire support;
  • In the future — electronic warfare (EW) systems and other energy interceptors.

"Our technology is developed to protect people in the coastal regions of Ukraine. By protecting these key aspects, we give the freedom to overcome Russian pressure and recover even after hostilities," emphasized the company's founder.

Relevance of Development Amidst Attacks

The development of the Blue Dragon system is taking place against the backdrop of regular attacks on the Odesa region. Russian kamikaze drones have already caused damage to infrastructure and trade. On the night of June 26, the region's energy sector was hit, leading to power outages. Earlier, on June 10, attacks on southern districts and the Black Sea waters resulted in damage to two civilian cargo ships.

The danger to shipping is confirmed by other incidents: at the end of May, a bulk carrier flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, traveling along the maritime corridor, was attacked, and on the night of May 18, boats struck a Chinese merchant vessel in Ukraine's territorial waters. Currently, BlueShadow is in the development and internal beta-testing phase of the main platform, which has already demonstrated its functionality.