Drones are fast becoming one of the principal weapons of war. They're used in almost every battlefield space, whether in the air, on land, or at sea. There are even drones in space. Most, however, are bespoke creations costing aerospace and military contracting manufacturers hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for each drone.
The United States recently lost seven MQ-9 Reaper drones to the tune of $200 million.
As such, the military-industrial complex is always looking for ways to save some cash by using existing platforms. Just kidding! They love burning money like it's firewood. But that hasn't stopped them from looking at how they can use existing platforms to fulfill their wants and needs, which has led to a cottage industry of industrial designers essentially using the internet to pitch the Pentagon on their ideas.
The latest in this crowd-sourced marine-based drone concept comes from a name you will all likely know: Bombardier. However, it's not the Bombardier of Sea-Doo, Can-Am, or Ski-Doo. The designer is linked to the brand, but not part of it. I'm talking about Charles Bombardier, the grandson of the founder of BRP, and the man who wants to bring this 325-horsepower "Sea-Drone" to life.
"Could a Sea-Doo-shaped drone redefine border surveillance?" starts Charles Bombardier's LinkedIn post, which features the photos you see here.
"What if coastal security could be handled without putting personnel in harm’s way — and without making a sound? The Sea-Drone 88 (or SD-88) is a concept for an autonomous, electric-powered personal watercraft designed to patrol sensitive rivers, coastal zones, and Arctic waters. Compact, modular, and remotely deployable, this unmanned platform could transform how nations protect their territory. With Canada’s renewed focus on Arctic sovereignty and increased defense investment, revisiting the Sea-Drone concept feels both timely and strategically aligned," he adds.
The Sea-Drone 88 is based on Sea-Doo's RXT-X, which is powered by the brand's 325 horsepower Rotax marine engine. However, to make room for the drone's electronic suite, the seats and handlebars have been removed, and the watercraft has been given a handful of exterior makeovers to make the whole machine far more stealthy.
According to Bombardier—again, Charles, not BRP—the ship would utilize either "electric or hybrid propulsion for silent operation", "stabilized HD and thermal imaging cameras mounted on a gimbal, "satellite or LTE communication relays," "a reinforced, impact-resistant Kevlar hull", and have the ability to either tow gear for special operations, as well as a "modular payload bay." Likewise, the industrial designer envisions three different models all using the same platform, including the SD-88 Tactical for "border patrol and night surveillance," an SD-44 Arctic for "cold-adapted with ice-resilient hull and long-range comms," and an SD-COMMS for "acting as a mobile comms relay or surveillance node."
Charles states, "From illegal crossings at the Rio Grande, to drug routes through the Florida Straits, and foreign ships inching into the Northwest Passage, many critical waterways remain under-monitored. Manned patrols are costly, risky, and logistically difficult, especially at night or in extreme environments. Even when combined, fixed and mobile sensor networks may be limited by terrain, weather, or deliberate evasion tactics. There is growing political will to better secure national borders and protected zones, but many of today’s tools are ill-suited for persistent, low-profile patrols. The Sea-Drone 88 was conceived to fill this gap."
Basically, Charles sees this drone platform as a way of projecting power onto areas that routinely have issues of seeing power projected, as waterways are inherently hard to patrol and police. That said, they're all still concepts and not real things. However, he published them not just on his LinkedIn profile, but also in Canada's The Globe and Mail. So it's clear he wants folks to see his ideas, as well as politicians who may be looking for innovative and cost-effective ways to project their power.
Will we ever see these? That's unclear.
