SOFEX 2022: US Navy unveils Saildrone Explorer USV previously captured by Iran.

Founded in 1996 by His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Special Operations Forces Exhibition and Conference (SOFEX) continues to grow edition on edition, acquiring paramount ranking among the specialized defense exhibitions. This year, the USA Pavilion is showcasing the Saildrone Explorer USV previously captured by Iran.
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Saildrone Explorer Unmanned Surface Vehicle, Aqaba. (Picture source: Navy Recognition)

Saildrone Inc., designs and manufactures three different USV classes: Explorers, Voyagers, and Surveyors. These USVs were designed to be long-endurance ocean-going data collection platforms.

All three vehicle classes leverage Saildrone solar power and wing technology which extends their mission range to be unlimited.

All three USV classes were designed for multi-purpose mission sets and can carry sensor payloads that enable them to perform METOC data collection, bathymetric mapping, and maritime domain awareness monitoring simultaneously.

The data collected from these USVs are sent to shore via different satellites or communication devices onboard the vehicles in near real-time. 

The Saildrone Explorer has a length of 23 ft (7 m), a wing height of 15 ft (5 m), and a craft weight of 1,500 lbs (680 kg). It can reach a top speed of three knots.

On 30 August 2022, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGCN) Navy attempted to capture the USV Explorer Saildrone operated by the US 5th Fleet in the Persian Gulf.