Kelluu airship provides persistent surveillance

Kelluu displayed its airship at TFX EFDL, held from 8 to 10 December. (Janes/Nicholas Fiorenza)

Finnish company Kelluu displayed its airship at the NATO Task Force X Eastern Flank Deterrence Line (TFX EFDL) technical demonstration held in Riihimäki, Finland, from 8 to 10 December.

A Kelluu representative standing next to the airship in the parking lot told Janes on 9 December that the system provides 12 hour persistent surveillance with a payload of up to 5 kg and can operate in Arctic conditions at temperatures as low as -33°C.

He said the Kelluu sensor platform has been deployed 100 km from the Russian border and has been used by a NATO country that he declined to name. He added that Kelluu was the first company to receive a NATO Rapid Adoption Action Plan contract award and is part of the alliance's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) phase two.

Kelluu CEO Janne Hietala told Janes later the same day that the airship had initially been used as a civilian system but that it has since conducted five missions for NATO this year. He said that the airship is equipped with a passive sensor from Saab and an infrared sensor. Saab confirmed to Janes on 10 December that the sensor is its Sirius Compact R-ESM (A20R), which is designed to operate autonomously and allow for assimilation and compilation of signal information providing situational awareness without storing any sensitive data in the sensor. The system enhances situational awareness through silent detection, classification, and prioritisation of radar emissions, according to Saab.