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France’s DIODON HP30 Inflatable Waterproof Micro-Drone Enhances Naval Surveillance at Enforce Tac 2026.
At Enforce Tac 2026, France-based Diodon Drone Technology unveiled the DIODON HP30 Mk2, a fully waterproof, inflatable micro-UAV designed for naval and maritime security missions in surf zones and river mouths. The system addresses a persistent ISR gap by allowing U.S. and allied forces to operate small drones in saltwater environments without treating water contact as mission-ending.
Diodon Drone Technology has showcased its DIODON HP30 Mk2 micro-UAV at Enforce Tac 2026, positioning the system as a tool for naval and maritime security units that need persistent observation in surf zones, river mouths and rough littoral environments without treating water contact as a mission-ending event. By combining a fully waterproof air vehicle with day–night sensing and integration into naval platforms, the HP30 is intended to close a longstanding gap in short-range ISR where conventional quadcopters often struggle with saltwater exposure, corrosion risk and recovery constraints.
Diodon Drone Technology unveiled the DIODON HP30 Mk2, a waterproof micro-drone built for naval surveillance in harsh saltwater environments (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)
The HP30 Mk2 is presented as a “seaworthy ISR UAS” optimized for coastal surveillance and search and rescue, and aligned with operational profiles such as visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) as well as covert beaching and inland water operations. This mission set reflects concrete needs: launch, recovery and sustained operation when boarding teams, patrol craft or shore elements are manoeuvring in wet, turbulent environments where losing small drones to spray, capsize events or immersion is common.
According to Diodon Drone Technology, the HP30 is the world’s first inflatable, fully waterproof micro-UAV designed for ISR operations from offshore and coastal areas through to inland waterways. The inflatable architecture is central to its concept of use: rather than avoiding water at all costs, the system is intended to survive contact, float, be recovered and be flown again, enabling recovery and redeployment cycles that are difficult to sustain with standard small UAS in maritime conditions. The company also describes the HP30 as a fully navalized system, built for harsh saltwater environments and intended to limit the risk of losing drones to water ingress or salt corrosion affecting motors, bearings, electronics and connectors.
The company specifies IP67-equivalent waterproofing, indicating a sealed structure designed to protect against dust ingress and short-duration immersion when used with appropriate handling procedures. It is also rated for deployments up to sea state 4, a level at which many small unmanned aircraft can still technically fly near the sea but are difficult to launch or recover safely from small craft. For short-range maritime ISR, Diodon gives a range of 3 nautical miles and a flight time of 30 minutes, placing the HP30 in a mission envelope suited to look-ahead reconnaissance, cueing patrol craft in confined waters and time-sensitive search patterns for SAR missions where the first half-hour is often critical for locating a contact.
The payload fit is centered on EO/IR sensors for day–night operations, directly supporting coastal surveillance and SAR roles and mapping onto boarding and interdiction scenarios where teams require stand-off identification before committing to close approach. In VBSS contexts, a compact EO/IR-equipped drone can reduce exposure by confirming deck activity, access points, potential weapons or suspicious movement before a team comes alongside. In coastal policing, the same payload can help maintain track continuity along cluttered shorelines and narrow inlets where line-of-sight from a patrol craft is frequently masked by terrain or infrastructure.
Diodon places particular emphasis on integration as a baseline capability rather than a later add-on. The HP30 is engineered for integration within naval platforms and command architectures through dedicated deployment hardware, C2/CMS interfacing and UAV × USV interoperability. In practice, this is intended to support a connected air–sea ISR chain in which a patrol craft can launch the drone, feed video and tracking data into a combat management system, and coordinate with unmanned surface vessels tasked with screening, route reconnaissance or contact investigation. The aim is to shorten the observe–decide–act cycle in crowded littoral areas where contacts may quickly be lost in traffic or coastal clutter.
Diodon Drone Technology is a French SME founded in 2017. The company designs, manufactures and integrates maritime mini-UAVs for defense, security and maritime professionals worldwide, and positions the HP30 within a portfolio focused on navalization and integration of small unmanned systems. This focus echoes a broader European and NATO trend toward missionized, domain-specific small UAS that can be deployed rapidly by coast guards, navies and special operations maritime elements without generating an excessive sustainment burden linked to corrosion control and water damage.
As navies, coast guards and maritime security forces continue to expand the use of small unmanned systems in day-to-day operations, the DIODON HP30 Mk2 illustrates how manufacturers are adapting mini-UAV design to the specific constraints of the maritime environment. By combining waterproof construction, EO/IR payloads and integration with naval platforms and unmanned surface vessels, the system is intended to offer an additional ISR option for boarding teams and coastal patrol units operating close to the waterline. Its deployment with users over the coming years will help show how such seaworthy micro-UAVs can be incorporated into routine patrol, VBSS and search and rescue missions alongside more traditional sensors and manned assets.