Saab UK and Kraken Technology Group have developed an experimental autonomous surface vessel designed to detect aerial drones and provide early warning for shipping, ports and offshore infrastructure.
The prototype, announced Oct. 2, combines Saab’s Giraffe 1X radar with Kraken’s K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel. The companies developed the U.K.-built system in less than seven months, including sea trials to evaluate radar performance in maritime conditions.
The K3 Scout can operate autonomously and deploy independently or alongside conventional surface vessels. Equipped with the Giraffe 1X, it is expected to detect small airborne targets and alert operators to potential drone incursions, the companies said.
The Giraffe 1X is a lightweight, three-dimensional radar designed to detect and track airborne threats in real time. The release did not specify detection ranges or describe equipment for intercepting drones.
“This is a pioneering, UK manufactured, deployable capability, that together with Kraken we’ve developed in less than seven months,” Andy Fraser, managing director of Saab UK, said in the announcement.
The project supports the U.K.’s concept of a “hybrid navy,” in which autonomous vessels operate alongside conventional naval assets.
“Kraken and Saab UK’s prototype ‘drone seeker’ vessel is exactly what the K3 SCOUT was designed to do: integrate with mission-relevant payloads to then operate in austere maritime environments,” said Mal Crease, CEO and founder of Kraken Technology Group.
The system remains experimental. Saab UK and Kraken said potential applications include protecting commercial shipping, ports, offshore energy assets and other infrastructure from aerial drone threats.
