At SeaSEC 2026 in the Baltic Sea, ELWAVE deployed its ESENSE underwater electric field sensing technology as part of a large-scale maritime surveillance and critical underwater infrastructure protection exercise.
The demonstration brought together a range of complementary technologies, including underwater acoustic sensors, Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) systems, autonomous inspection platforms, and advanced Command & Control and data fusion solutions. The objective was to evaluate how multiple sensing modalities can be combined to improve detection, classification and tracking of underwater threats around critical assets.
Within this multi-layered architecture, ESENSE introduced a unique sensing capability based on passive electric field detection. Beyond strengthening overall detection performance, electric sensing provides access to the electrical signature of underwater targets, creating a complementary classification channel that is not available through acoustic or optical sensors alone.
This additional layer of information enables operators not only to detect potential threats but also to better characterize and discriminate them based on their electrical behavior, improving confidence during the classification process and reducing ambiguities in complex operational environments.
The exercise also demonstrated ELWAVE’s ability to seamlessly integrate with partner systems responsible for data fusion, visualization and Command & Control functions. ESENSE data was successfully incorporated into the common operational picture alongside acoustic, optical and autonomous assets, contributing to a coherent multi-physics surveillance architecture.
SeaSEC 2026 highlighted the growing importance of integrated maritime surveillance systems where electric, acoustic and optical observables are combined to enhance situational awareness and protect critical underwater infrastructure. In this context, ESENSE adds a previously missing electrical sensing layer, improving both detection robustness and target classification capabilities.
