UK creates Kraken3 surface drone to carry Switchblade UAV
The British company Kraken presented its new Kraken3 Scout Medium surface drone during the annual Special Operations Forces Week conference in Tampa. This was reported by The War Zone.
Here's What We Know
The drone is designed to carry out a variety of missions, from strike operations to counter-drone operations, cargo and personnel delivery. Although the drone itself is manufactured by Kraken, the navigation technology, drone swarming and two types of payloads were developed by AV (formerly known as AeroVironment before the merger with BlueHalo).
Kraken3 is equipped with two payload compartments. During the presentation in Tampa, it was equipped with AV's Titan 4 electronic warfare system designed to counter drones. The drone is also capable of carrying Switchblade 600 and 300 drones, which can be deployed during the mission.
It uses the patented HaloSwarm autonomy system, which allows it to operate both under operator control and fully autonomously. According to AV's senior technical director, the UK has already successfully tested the simultaneous operation of three maritime drones using this technology.
The Kraken3 Scout Medium surface drone. Illustration: The War Zone
The Kraken3 has four cameras for situational awareness and an optoelectronic gimbal that can be customised to meet customer needs. The drone can communicate via Starlink, HF radio, 2.4 GHz channel or mobile network.
In the event of GPS jamming, the drone is able to navigate using the HaloNav (APNT) system, which uses sky polarisation, tracking of the Sun, Moon, other celestial bodies, the Inmarsat satellite and an inertial navigation system. This allows it to operate autonomously even in the face of powerful electronic interference.
Kraken3 can travel 650 nautical miles with a 600kg payload at a cruising speed of 35 knots, with a top speed of 55 knots. In the case of a kamikaze strike mission, the drone uses the BlueHalo automatic target recognition (ATR) system, which theoretically allows it to perform such tasks completely autonomously.
Source: The War Zone
