The Royal Navy has awarded Saab a £15 million contract for several Sea Giraffe 1X radars to fit to Kraken’s K3 Scout uncrewed boats, creating an autonomous drone seeker for the service’s hybrid fleet, according to Saab.
Saab says the system will give persistent surveillance and early warning against aerial threats at sea, protecting naval assets, commercial shipping, ports and critical national infrastructure, either on its own or alongside crewed warships. The award follows shore and sea trials by Saab UK and Kraken in which the experimental system detected, tracked and classified airborne targets while operating autonomously in challenging conditions, and the system will now be matured and integrated into Royal Navy operations. The capability was on display when the Royal Navy commissioned its first Autonomous Squadron.
Captain Adam Ballard, the Royal Navy’s Deputy Commander Surface Flotilla, said: “The Royal Navy is continuing to develop our USVs with cutting edge capabilities. Project BEEHIVE has taken its first major step in integrating complex payloads. The K3 – Sea Giraffe 1X combination will allow us to deliver an air surveillance picture up threat allowing early detection of hostile air tracks for subsequent engagement”.
“When we unveiled this capability earlier this year, we highlighted its potential to transform how maritime operators address the rapidly evolving drone threat. Today’s contract award supports that vision and demonstrates how Saab helps our customers to embracing innovative autonomous technologies that strengthen national security. Together with Kraken, we have moved from concept to operational adoption at an exceptional speed. We are proud to support the Royal Navy in delivering a world-leading capability that will help protect critical assets at sea and ashore,” said Andy Fraser, Group Managing Director of Saab UK.
Mal Crease, chief executive and founder of Kraken Technology Group, said: “K3 Scout was designed from the outset to integrate with mission-ready payloads. Our modular bay allows the Royal Navy to re-role the boat rapidly for surveillance, counter-drone or strike, without changing the underlying platform. Sea Giraffe 1X adds proven counter-UAS radar to our range of payloads and is one of many we’re developing with our partners.”
Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, first announced the contract at the International Sea Power Conference in Oslo on Tuesday without naming the radar or its value. Kraken and Saab revealed last month that they had taken the prototype from concept to working system in under seven months. The Royal Navy took delivery of 20 K3 Scouts under Project Beehive in April, and the boats now form part of the 1st Autonomous Squadron in Portsmouth.
