Accordo tra Novamarine ed Edge Europe su droni navali a guida autonoma

The Italian shipyard Novamarine and Edge Europe, a Paris-based company from the Edge Group, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop cutting-edge naval drones. The agreement envisions the companies working together on the joint development of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs), autonomous surface vessels for professional use within Novamarine's segment.

Novamarine will handle the production of USVs at its Olbia facility, while Edge will manage the delivery and integration of autonomous navigation systems onboard. Both companies will also leverage the contributions of the Technology Innovation Institute, a research arm of Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), and Abu Dhabi Ship Building, Edge's naval division responsible for designing, constructing, repairing, and converting naval and commercial vessels.

Novamarine recently unveiled its first two USV models at Euronaval 2026, one of the world's leading naval defense exhibitions in Paris, which runs until November 6. All USVs are designed and manufactured inhouse, with lengths ranging from 5 to 26 meters. Novamarine's President Francesco Pirro emphasized that this agreement marks a significant step in their growth through innovation, noting that the collaboration with Edge Group combines Novamarine's expertise in high-performance vessel design and construction with advanced autonomous navigation technologies to create a new generation of vessels capable of addressing increasingly complex operational requirements.

Khaled Al Zaabi, president of Edge's Platforms & Systems division, explained that Edge understands the needs of crews engaged in patrolling and rescue missions, emphasizing that the company aims to leverage this knowledge rather than starting from scratch. By integrating Novamarine's platforms with Edge's expertise in autonomous navigation and system integration, the companies anticipate that autonomous surface vessels will be able to perform a wide range of missions at sea while protecting crew safety.

This collaboration model, based on working alongside established Italian companies, is intended to foster mutual growth rather than competition.