Ensuring Ocean Safety and Security
In the ever-evolving maritime landscape, challenges abound. Geopolitical instability, cybersecurity threats, GPS vulnerability, supply chain disruptions, and associated cost and schedule impacts are the main hurdles facing maritime navigation today.
One region that remains highly risky in 2025 is the Red Sea, where missile attacks by Houthi rebels have forced ships to take a much longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, leading to increased transit times and costs. Cybersecurity risks are also escalating, with smart ships and ports vulnerable to hacking that can alter navigation data or disrupt automated logistics, posing safety and operational risks. GPS denial and spoofing incidents are increasingly common in contested maritime regions, undermining navigation reliability and safety.
Amidst these challenges, Airbus, a global leader in aerospace and defense technologies, is preparing for the challenges of the next half-century with solutions in rotary wing, fixed wing, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and satellite systems. While the documents highlight Airbus’s struggles with supply chain and shipping delays, they do not explicitly describe Airbus initiatives in maritime navigation.
Airbus' role in maritime solution-engineering is emphasized as an architect, integrating tactical systems of UAVs, planes, and rotorcraft with datalinks. For instance, the VSR700 UAS extends the visual range and reach of corvettes and larger warships for various missions including anti-surface warfare and search and rescue. The H160M HIL helicopter is designed for navies in surveillance and interception missions based in frigates, while the A320M3A is lined up to fulfill a range of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) functions and technical roles such as maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare.
Airbus' STYRIS Coastal Surveillance Systems are deployed for maritime surveillance, and the C295 aircraft are used for maritime surveillance and patrol. The integration of these products into a cohesive system allows for efficient and effective maritime surveillance and decision-making. The integrated systems are designed to communicate with each other, as well as with customers' legacy systems, NATO systems, or those of other suppliers.
In a significant addition to Airbus' portfolio of products for maritime surveillance and patrol, the high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS) Zephyr is set to debut, designed for long-running, solar-powered defense and civil missions. Zephyr, positioned in the stratosphere, is capable of flying for months, combining satellite presence with UAV payloads for global surveillance. This aerial surveillance can be analysed and acted upon by other Airbus products.
However, cutting-edge navigation resilience is being advanced by specialized tech companies like Q-CTRL through quantum navigation technologies. These technologies promise significant improvements to maritime navigation safety and reliability, especially in contested or GPS-challenged waters.
As the world's maritime transport accounts for 80% of global goods transport, the importance of maintaining safe, efficient, and reliable maritime navigation cannot be overstated. Governments, navies, and international organizations are working together to monitor, deter, study, and safeguard coasts and high seas. The United Nations' report on global climate change predicts an increase in hurricane and typhoon-related emergencies, further emphasizing the need for advanced maritime surveillance and response systems.
An example of the potential impact of Airbus' system is the alerting of two small craft on a collision course near Corsica. The integration of various Airbus products into a cohesive system allows for efficient and effective maritime surveillance and decision-making, ensuring the safety of ships and crews in even the most challenging maritime environments.
[1] Global Maritime Navigation Challenges in 2025 [2] Quantum Navigation: A Solution for GPS Denial and Spoofing [3] Cybersecurity Risks in the Maritime World [4] Supply Chain Disruptions Impact Multiple Industries [5] Missile Attacks in the Red Sea Cause Major Route Diversions
[6] Airbus' Role in Tackling Maritime Navigation Challenges: Airbus, with its aerospace and defense technologies, is addressing the challenges of the next half-century. Their offerings range from rotary wing, fixed wing, UAVs, and satellite systems, and they are geared towards improving maritime navigation through products like the VSR700 UAS, H160M HIL helicopter, A320M3A, STYRIS Coastal Surveillance Systems, and C295 aircraft.
[7] Emerging Technologies and General News: Meanwhile, specialist companies like Q-CTRL are working on quantum navigation technologies to enhance maritime navigation safety and reliability, particularly in contested or GPS-challenged waters. This technology is one of many developments in environmental-science, technology, data-and-cloud-computing, finance, energy, and transportation sectors that are shaping the landscape of general-news, politics, crime-and-justice, and climate-change discussions.
