In the long-anticipated UK Defence Investment Plan, the UK’s elite Commandos will receive new high-speed boats and the latest drone and autonomous technologies.
The Royal Navy has already awarded a £12.3 million contract to the UK Kraken Technology Group for 20 K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) to be used by the Coastal Forces Squadron and 47 Commando Royal Marines for operations, training, and development of autonomous and uncrewed technology.
Founded only five years ago, the Fareham-based Kraken Technology also secured a US$49 million Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract in November 2025 from US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) for USVs and subsurface vessels to enhance its autonomous intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and direct-action missions within highly contested littoral battlespaces.
In April 2026, the US defence technology firm Anduril will partner with Kraken Technology to supply small USVs to the US Navy. Anduril will manufacture the K5 Kraken and K7 Sabre at its US facilities and will equip each vessel for the full spectrum of US Navy missions.
The K3 Scout USV will also be manufactured in Germany at the Blohm+Voss shipyard following the establishment last year of the Rheinmetall Kraken GmbH joint venture.
The 8.4m-long Kraken K3 Scout can reach speeds of up to 55 knots and is suitable for both strike and ISR missions. The K4 Manta is an uncrewed surface vessel (USSV) that combines rapid surface transit of sensor or effect payloads with the ability to submerge for covert infiltration, ISR, or loitering roles.
The K5 Kraken is a 15m optionally crewed USV designed for maritime engagement and littoral strike. Developed as a gunship, it has a payload capacity of up to two tonnes, can reach a maximum speed of 65 knots, and has a range of approximately 1,000 nautical miles at 30 knots.
by David Oliver
