On June 4, 2025, FLANQ, a German maritime defense solutions provider, and MetOcean Telematics, a global leader in telemetry and maritime security technologies, announced a strategic partnership aimed at advancing submarine surveillance capabilities in Germany’s maritime domain.

This collaboration focuses on bolstering undersea situational awareness through intelligent, distributed sensing and data fusion. The joint effort will supply and support commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) surveillance systems designed to detect, classify, and track submerged threats in Germany’s contested and congested waters.

Central to this initiative is NiKA, MetOcean’s new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) surveillance instrument. NiKA is engineered for long-endurance acoustic sensing and can be deployed from uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) or ships. It autonomously dives to programmed depths to perform real-time passive acoustic surveillance, detecting and classifying adversary signatures across the water column. Upon detecting anomalies or based on mission parameters, NiKA surfaces to transmit data to commanders via Iridium satellite.

FLANQ’s proprietary technology stack, including Q-MIND and Q-KONTROL, complements this effort by providing true autonomy in complex maritime environments. Their vehicle and sensor-agnostic systems combine data fusion and edge computing to deliver real-time perception, understanding, and response, enhancing situational awareness.

The partnership between FLANQ and MetOcean Telematics represents a significant step toward strengthening NATO-aligned undersea situational awareness, ensuring enhanced security and defense capabilities in Germany’s maritime theater.