Kraken Technology Group
Fareham, UK maker of high-speed defence USVs (K3 SCOUT, K4 MANTA, K5 KRAKEN); $175m Series B in 2026, with Rheinmetall and Anduril production partners.
Kraken Technology Group is a British company that designs and builds uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), mainly for defence and maritime security customers. It is based in Segensworth, Fareham, Hampshire, and builds vessels there. It is a separate company from the Canadian sonar and subsea firm Kraken Robotics. Founder and CEO Mal Crease previously led Vector Racing, an offshore powerboat team. Kraken says the team won multiple UIM World Championship titles, set more than 20 UIM world records for speed and endurance, and held K7-class records above 100 mph over more than ten years of racing. Kraken describes that racing engineering team as the foundation of its own. The leadership team also includes Deputy CEO Mark Exeter, CTO Amelia Gould (appointed July 2026) and Justin Litko, who was appointed CEO of the US subsidiary in July 2026. The advisory board includes former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Admiral Lord West and Rear Admiral James Parkin.
Kraken's platforms are modular, composite-hulled craft with open interfaces for autonomy and payloads. They run the Auterion operating system and support both supervised autonomy and remote piloting. Published specifications:
- K3 SCOUT. 8.4 m long, 1.93 m beam, 2,500 kg maximum displacement. Inboard diesel with stern drive, top speed 55 kt, range 650 nm at 25 kt, endurance up to 30 days depending on the mission, and a 600 kg modular payload. Roles include maritime awareness, force protection, logistics, C-UAS, electronic warfare and precision strike. An optional airdrop kit is available, and a K3 SCOUT Medium variant has been used on NATO exercises.
- K4 MANTA. A surface/sub-surface craft that transits on the surface and then submerges for covert infiltration, reconnaissance or loitering. The published variant is 5.5 m long and electric, with 30 kt surface speed, 300 nm range, 7-day endurance, 100 kg payload and 10 m operating depth (30 m target). Kraken lists 18 ft, 36 ft and 54 ft versions.
- K5 KRAKEN. 11.06 m long, 6,000 kg, twin diesel with stern drives. Top speed 50 kt, range 1,000 nm at 30 kt and a 1,500 kg payload, for strike, anti-submarine warfare and forward screening.
- K7 SABRE. A larger high-performance USV that, with the K5, will be licence-built in the US under a partnership with Anduril Industries announced in April 2026.
Production is spread across several partners. Kraken and German shipbuilder NVL formed a joint venture in August 2025 to build at the Blohm+Voss yard in Hamburg. The venture now operates as Rheinmetall Kraken GmbH with Rheinmetall's Naval Systems division, and series production of the K3 SCOUT began there in April 2026. Initial capacity is about 200 units a year, scalable to 1,000. In May 2026 Kraken agreed with Davie Shipbuilding to set up Canadian production and integration. Kraken says it is scaling UK output to 1,000 vessels a year at a new 35,000 sq ft facility in Fareham.
Kraken's government work includes UK Ministry of Defence contracts, NATO Task Force X, and orders from European NATO members. The Royal Navy has used the K3 SCOUT under Project Beehive. In May 2026 USSOCOM awarded Kraken a USD 49 million Other Transaction Authority agreement to prototype uncrewed surface and sub-surface vessels. With Capewell and the Royal Navy, Kraken completed what it calls the world's first extracted-load airdrop of a USV, dropping a K3 SCOUT on Capewell's UMCADS platform from an A400M at 1,300 ft. With Saab UK it has integrated the Giraffe 1X radar into a K3 SCOUT to make a prototype counter-drone "drone seeker" vessel.
Kraken is venture-backed. In June 2025 it announced investment from the NATO Innovation Fund, the UK's National Security Strategic Investment Fund and Superangel, and NVL also invested. In July 2026 it closed a USD 175 million Series B at a USD 1 billion valuation. DTCP led the round, with the British Business Bank, the NATO Innovation Fund, Rheinmetall, Inocea Group, HICO, Thesiger Capital, BOKA Capital, Supernova Invest and Hakluyt Capital taking part. Kraken also serves commercial users in offshore wind, oil and gas, survey and infrastructure monitoring, as well as humanitarian and research projects.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact Kraken Technology Group
WEBSITE
https://krakentechnology.comHEADQUARTERS
United Kingdom
Company Facts
Founded
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Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
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Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
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Funding Stage
Growth / Late-Stage VC
Funding Total
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