Born in Ukraine. Built for allied navies.
Aquadrone began as a volunteer engineering response to a frontline problem — and is now scaling into an industrial manufacturer of autonomous maritime systems. Same hardware, built to production standards, available to allied operators.
The Dnipro problem.
In October 2023 the 36th Marine Brigade landed on the Russian-held bank of the Dnipro. To hold the position, Ukrainian crews had to cross the river in small boats — bringing supplies in, taking casualties out. They were sitting ducks for Russian mortars and drones. Thirty-one boats never made it back.
Lieutenant Andrej Mahomet asked a simple question: could someone build a boat that made the crossing without a crew on board? Stichting Protect Ukraine took on the challenge and assembled a small Dutch engineering team to build it. That boat became the River Whale — and the project that grew around it became Aquadrone.
Initiated by Stichting Protect Ukraine 🇺🇦 · Now scaling as Aquadrone
Saving lives by supplying modular, unmanned boats to Ukrainian units for logistics, reconnaissance and casualty evacuation.
Strengthening the resilience of the Netherlands and Europe by developing and producing autonomous maritime systems deployed in conflict zones.
Two platforms. One engineering lineage.
River Whale
Field operational · 50hp · thermal + day optics
The tactical agile interceptor proven on Ukrainian waterways. Starlink + short-range RF, gas-and-steering control, FPV-grade situational awareness for day and night operations.
River Whale platform →Sea Whale
In development · 7m semi-V · 250hp · modular
Successor to the River Whale. A modular 7-metre platform with a deck rail system for ISR, security and support payloads. Autonomous or remotely operated; encrypted multi-link comms.
Sea Whale platform →Combat-tested before it was a company.
Combat-proven, not lab-tested
The River Whale platform was iterated under fire on Ukrainian waterways. Every design choice was paid for in operational feedback before it became a product.
Low signature, no crew at risk
Low acoustic and radar profile. Unmanned by design — there is no crew on board to lose. This is not a silent boat; it is a boat that is hard to see and that nobody dies in.
Modular by construction
Powertrain, control electronics and hull are independent modules. Field-repairable with off-the-shelf parts. The Sea Whale's deck-rail system extends this to payloads.
Open autonomy stack
Built on Ardupilot — widely supported, operationally proven, transparent. Manual, remote, and (semi-)autonomous waypoint operation. No black boxes the operator can't fix.
Ingenieur van het Jaar 2026.
In March 2026, Aquadrone founder Martijn Otten won the Prins Friso Ingenieursprijs 2026 — the Netherlands' highest engineering honour — for coupling technical excellence to societal responsibility through the Protect Ukraine Aquadrone project.
The award was presented at TU Eindhoven by Princess Mabel and KIVI president Diana van den Heuvel, in the presence of Princess Beatrix and Countess Zaria.
Same hardware. Industrial standards.
What started as a volunteer team is becoming a professional manufacturer. The River Whale is moving from craft assembly to series production. The Sea Whale is being engineered from day one as a manufacturable platform. The mission — saving lives, strengthening allied resilience — does not change.
Aquadrone remains tightly linked to Stichting Protect Ukraine. The NGO is the route through which units in Ukraine receive boats; the company is the route through which the platform reaches industrial scale.
Donate via Protect Ukraine →
Tax-deductible donations to Stichting Protect Ukraine. They fund the boats and deliver them to Ukrainian units. Aquadrone does not collect donation money.
Express investment interest →
We are preparing a STAK so backers can hold depositary receipts in Aquadrone B.V. Register a non-binding indication — we'll be in touch when the round opens.