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Navy to buy 20 uncrewed boats as testbeds for future operations
11 March 2026
The Royal Navy is set to purchase 20 uncrewed boats as it looks to build on its ability to merge both crewed and uncrewed forces.
The contract, worth £12.3m, was won by Kraken Technology Group – a UK company with an expertise in designing and building uncrewed surface vessels (USVs).
The fleet of 20 boats will be used by the Coastal Forces Squadron and 47 Commando Royal Marines for operations, training and development activities to help set the foundation for further uses of autonomous and uncrewed technology.
Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Paul Beattie said: “The Royal Navy’s investment in uncrewed surface vessels marks a significant milestone in our journey towards a Hybrid Navy.
“By integrating cutting-edge autonomous technology with our existing capabilities, we are ensuring that our forces remain at the forefront of maritime innovation and warfighting effectiveness.”
It comes as the Senior Service is committing to accelerating a transition to a Hybrid Navy – one that sees traditional ships operate alongside crewless vessels and other autonomous equipment and drones. The Beehive capability will operate alongside existing crewed and uncrewed systems such as the Mine Hunting Capability.
The procurement is part of the Royal Navy’s Project Beehive which will deliver a platform to act as a proving ground for future Hybrid Navy technologies while also providing an immediate operational capability.
Captain Adam Ballard Royal Navy said: “Project Beehive is an exciting step on the Royal Navy’s Hybrid Navy journey.
“It takes experimentation conducted by our Disruptive Capabilities team and immediately brings their learning through into operations proving our ability to rapidly take new technology and adopt it.
“The Kraken USVs will have open architecture for rapid integration of new capabilities to maintain our warfighting edge over our adversaries.
“Royal Navy and Royal Marines personnel are already under training and we will have an exceptionally capable USV operational in the next few months.”
The Royal Navy’s investment in uncrewed surface vessels marks a significant milestone in our journey towards a Hybrid Navy.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP added: “We are building the Royal Navy of the future right now in the face of threats seen around the world.
“Autonomous vessels will complement our world-class warships, protecting UK waters and helping keep sailors safe on global deployments.
“This is innovative technology, developed by an exciting young British company, built right here in Britain, and delivered at pace to keep Britons safe.”
Founded only five years ago, Kraken has grown at pace, successfully demonstrating and executing with the MOD, NATO Task Force-X (Baltic). The company is also expanding a joint venture with major European shipbuilder Rheinmetall Naval Systems and will be announcing further joint ventures/licensed manufacturing agreements in 2026.
Mal Crease, Founder and CEO of Kraken Technology Group, said: “We are delighted to partner with the MOD to support the Royal Navy’s mission to transform to a hybrid fleet.
“The award of Project Beehive is a major validation of our maritime capabilities and our ability to enhance maritime defence through the introduction of disruptive technologies. As the modern theatre evolves, Kraken will continue to iterate at pace in support of the UK and its allies.”
The Royal Navy has significant experience in Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and has been trialling remotely operated surface craft for the past few years. A recent exercise in Scotland saw remotely-controlled vessels watch and escort a ship acting as a contact of interest.
They were piloted from sailors and Royal Marines embarked on experimentation ship XV Patrick Blackett in Portsmouth while the vessels themselves were 500 miles away.