Naval forces are under pressure to patrol coastal and contested waters with fewer resources, as traditional crewed vessels struggle to keep pace with new threats.
Kraken develops high-performance autonomous sea vessels designed for both defence and commercial use. Its systems include modular surface and subsurface vessels built using lightweight composite materials and designed for rapid prototyping and production. The company’s platforms have been tested in naval exercises and selected for programmes with the Royal Navy, while it has also secured backing from the NATO Innovation Fund and the UK’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund, and counts former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo among its investors and advisors.
As maritime operations shift towards autonomy, lower-cost and rapidly deployable uncrewed vessels are emerging as an increasingly important part of naval operations.
