Kuwait Deploys World’s Fastest Surveillance USV ‘NeedleFish’

Kuwait has officially launched a fleet of high-tech unmanned surface vessels called NeedleFish as part of a $213 million national maritime surveillance project. The initiative is being delivered in partnership with UK-based firms Ocean Infinity and SRT Marine Systems.

The launch took place during a live demonstration in open waters, attended by First Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, and Commodore Sheikh Mubarak, the Commander of the Kuwait Coast Guard (KCG). One of the new dual-hull NeedleFish USVs performed live exercises during the event.

The NeedleFish USVs will play a key role in “Project Vigilant,” a surveillance programme started in October 2024 to strengthen Kuwait’s coastal monitoring.

The project introduces the world’s most advanced Marine Domain Awareness (MDA) system, which combines static and mobile platforms with advanced sensors, including cameras, radars, and RF detectors, all connected through SRT Marine’s AI-powered GeoVS MDA system.

Each NeedleFish vessel is 14 meters long and 6 meters wide, with twin marine jet engines and a wave-piercing dual-hull design. The USVs can reach speeds of over 40 miles per hour, making them the fastest in their class.

Though the exact operational duration is classified, it is known that they can stay at sea for multiple days and be remotely operated from command centers, offering extended range without needing to return to base.

Ocean Infinity’s USVs are built for advanced surveillance and mapping tasks. The company, which has been operating such vessels since 2019, designed the NeedleFish with advanced marine robotics, software, and artificial intelligence systems.

The vessels are equipped with multiple surveillance sensors and can stream live data to new command centers built specifically for Kuwait’s surveillance program. These command centers are fully integrated into the new SRT C5iSR system, which covers the country’s 11,000 square kilometers of territorial waters.

The NeedleFish USVs will help the Kuwait Coast Guard carry out a wide range of missions, including detecting suspicious vessels, conducting search and rescue operations, escorting other ships, performing deterrence patrols, monitoring fisheries, doing covert surveillance, identifying pollution, and mapping the seabed.

Four NeedleFish vessels have been commissioned for Kuwait’s national fleet. They were secretly built in two UK shipyards and transported to Kuwait on Antonov aircraft, which are among the few planes large enough to carry them.

Along with the USVs, the full surveillance system includes multiple new command centers, a coastal network of surveillance towers, over 100 digital navigation aids, and full data integration for real-time monitoring and response.

This project is part of Kuwait’s national modernisation efforts. According to Global Finance, the country has plans for $121 billion worth of infrastructure projects, including new housing, roads, railways, and utilities.

Reference: Ocean Infinity

Source: Maritime Shipping News