FLANQ Unveils Its New USV Platform At CNE 2025

German defence firm FLANQ has launched Q-RECON — its new expeditionary uncrewed surface vessel (USV) — at CNE 2025.

Not unnaturally, the company has chosen the largest annual naval event in Europe as the most suitable arena to unveil its new platform, a drone vessel tailor-made for littoral operations.

The firm, based in Rostock, said it had developed its new product in response to an inquiry from a European customer. The lightweight two-metre-long vessel has the flexibility to be used either for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions or for tactical intercepts.

Q-RECON sports a 30kg payload bay which can be equipped with a variety of effectors or sensors including 360° night-vision and multi-spectral cameras, making it ideal for either covert monitoring, or infrastructure inspections and beach-landing surveys.

Its twin-jet propulsion system means the USV couples high manoeuvrability with the capacity to hit speeds of up to 30 knots. It has an autopilot facility and features an optional dead-reckoning system to cope with GPS-denied environments.

Chief Technology Officer at FLANQ Jannik Sauer commented: “Q-RECON has gone from concept to in-water testing in around 120 days — testimony to the speed of innovation in the European defence sector at the demand for affordable maritime autonomous systems.”

He added: “Our customer came to us with a very specific feature list, including price and portability and 100% European content.”

The firm is showcasing its new vessel on its F24 stand and would be delighted to speak to interested delegates about Q-RECON’s capabilities in more detail.

CNE is running between Tuesday and Thursday this week at the International Exhibition and Conference Centre in Farnborough, U.K.

The largest annual naval event in Europe, in its 11th iteration it expects to this year welcome in excess of 2,600 delegates to hear 160+plus presentations and interact with more than 200 exhibitors from over 80 nations worldwide.

It is focusing on all aspects of maritime security, including future surface fleet developments, underwater defence and security, and submarine and surface fleet technology.

• You can read more about the Q-RECON USV on the FLANQ website