This summer, MAHI and the Belgian Navy have taken concrete steps forward, following the Letter of Intent signed between the two partners during BEDEX 2026, where MAHI was the only company to enter into such an agreement with Belgian Defence.
Over the course of two weeks, MAHI and the Belgian Navy performed a series of operational trials on the North Sea using the Alpha-8, MAHI’s test- and demonstration USV. Navy operators got hands-on with the vessel and its technology to explore how it performs across a range of real-world scenarios: detecting and tracking suspicious vessels, testing onboard sensors and supporting search and rescue operations.
The North Sea proved an ideal testing ground. Rather than sending a crewed vessel out first, an unmanned vessel can act as an extra set of eyes at sea, assessing a situation before committing more expensive resources. What stood out most was how quickly things moved: feedback from the trials was immediately picked up and improvements were evaluated within those two weeks. That kind of responsiveness is exactly what this partnership was meant for.
These trials mark one step in a wider push to bring the Belgian Navy, industry players and government institutions closer together around maritime autonomy; a collaboration MAHI looks forward to taking further.
View the video here.
