Europe’s Stealthy New Spy Boat Fits in a Backpack

FLANQ’s Q-RECON USV Is Built for Covert Littoral Ops

FLANQ, a German maritime defense company, just unveiled a game-changer for coastal warfare: the Q-RECON, a European-made uncrewed surface vessel (USV) designed for stealthy, agile operations in shallow waters. Developed under tight deadlines for an undisclosed European client, this 2-meter-long drone boat is light enough for two operators to carry—but packs enough tech to surveil enemy coastlines or scout landing zones undetected.

“This isn’t just another USV—it’s a modular, high-speed recon tool that disappears into the noise of the littoral zone,” says a FLANQ engineer familiar with the project.

Q-RECON’s 30 kg payload bay can house 360° night vision systems, multi-spectral cameras, or other sensors, making it ideal for covert monitoring, port inspections, or beach surveys. But the real magic lies in its propulsion: dual vectored jet drives, custom-designed by FLANQ, let the USV hit 30 knots in bursts and pivot like a jet ski. That agility is critical for evading detection or navigating tight spaces.

Autonomous, Adaptable, and GNSS-Proof

Navigation is handled by a suite including autopilot, GPS, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU), with optional dead-reckoning for scenarios where GPS is jammed—a growing concern in modern conflicts. FLANQ’s proprietary Q-KONTROL hardware and Q-MIND software allow operators to swap payloads or program autonomous routes in minutes, turning the USV into a customizable “Swiss Army knife” for maritime ops.

“You could deploy this at dusk to map a hostile pier, then reconfigure it by dawn for electronic warfare—all without touching a line of code,” the engineer adds.

The Q-RECON will make its public debut at the Combined Naval Event in Farnborough, UK, where FLANQ (stand F24) will demo its capabilities. While pricing remains classified, its portability and modularity suggest it’s aimed at special forces or rapid-response units. In an era of drone-dominated warfare, Europe now has its own answer to the littoral spy boat—and it fits in a trunk.