SEAWINGS and AIRSHIP: Pathways for the Future of Wing-in-Ground Vehicles

SEAWINGS and AIRSHIP are two European-funded projects that share a common technological foundation in Wing-in-Ground (WIG) vehicles, while addressing different application domains and operational needs: transport (AIRSHIP) vs defence (SEAWINGS). Together, they contribute to advancing Europe’s expertise in autonomous WIG systems and strengthening innovation in maritime and coastal operations.

The EDF-funded project SEAWINGS aims to apply WIG technologies to create a new class of military surveillance drones, focusing on fast deployment and intervention at sea. Like AIRSHIP, the SEAWINGS project proposes the development of wing-in-ground vehicles, though the use cases are completely different scenarios.

SEAWINGS builds on similar technological principles but targets defence and security applications. Its objective is to develop WIG surveillance drones capable of operating in the sea-air interface for missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), search and rescue, logistics support, and other maritime defence operations. As such, both projects share a number of consortium members, ensuring that the projects help establish a broader European ecosystem for next-generation WIG technologies, accelerating innovation, technological maturity, and strategic autonomy across both civilian and defence sectors.

As a sister project, SEAWINGS has collaborated in the clustering actions of AIRSHIP and will be featured as a guest in any further upcoming action of the project.