Date
31 July 2026
Category
Concurrent Design, Defence, Engineering, MBSE, News, Security
No comments- Through a consortium led by De Haas, Starion is providing expertise in model-based system engineering (MBSE) and cybersecurity to the next design phase of an unmanned surface vessel (USV) for the Dutch Ministry of Defence.
- The USV Alliance consortium will support the Dutch MoD in its plans to develop USVs as part of its strategic positioning of unmanned craft as central to its future armed forces.
- Starion’s CDP4-COMET MBSE tool will be used to support the multidisciplinary concurrent design sessions for the USV.
Starion will be spearheading two key elements of the next project phase to design a 12-metre USV for the Dutch MoD as part of a consortium led by De Haas. During the 9-month stage, Starion’s experts will be responsible for leading MBSE activities, mission integration, verification and validation, and cybersecurity.
The project aligns with the recent announcement by the Dutch MoD as it intends to transform into a more digital and increasingly unmanned force. Its 2026 Defence White paper states its ambition for more than half of its military operations to be delivered through unmanned systems within 5 years. As part of this, the Royal Netherlands Navy plans to operate mixed task groups combining conventional warships with minimally or unmanned vessels and drones. The USVs will increase the operational reach and enhance the responsiveness of the new Anti-Submarine Warfare Frigates (ASWF) and in doing so strengthen the operational capability of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
In the next phase of the USV design project, the MBSE approach, led by Starion, will act as the backbone for the programme, ensuring that all requirements, interfaces and design decisions are captured in a single comprehensive digital architecture instead of disconnected documents. This will help to reduce risk and ensure consistent management of design decisions.
Starion’s experts will lead the concurrent design sessions, with Starion’s CDP4-COMET tool used to support the design process as well as verification and design reviews.
Starion is also leading the cybersecurity activities of the USV project, including defining the cybersecurity architecture and ensuring the design complies with the Dutch MoD’s Maritime Security Standards Framework. Cybersecurity is being considered as an integral discipline from the beginning of the design process to ensure security considerations are embedded in the design decisions from the start for both information and operational technology aspects.
Main image courtesy of the Dutch MoD
