Navigating New Frontiers: BlueHalo and Kraken Join Forces for Autonomous Maritime Innovation
ARLINGTON, VA and LONDON, UK — BlueHalo, the firm revolutionizing the future of international defense, and Kraken Technology Group, a maritime technology pioneer renowned for its groundbreaking high-performance platforms, today revealed a strategic alliance to merge BlueHalo’s state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)-driven autonomous mission systems into Kraken’s coastal security platforms. This collaboration aims to design next-generation uncrewed surface vehicles (USV) and uncrewed surface/sub-surface vehicles (USSV), along with multi-domain ‘marsupial’ capabilities.
Through this partnership, both organizations will collaborate to incorporate BlueHalo’s industry-leading autonomous innovations into a variety of Kraken vessels, including the K3 SCOUT USV, the K4 MANTA USSV, and the K5 KRAKEN Gunship. Their joint efforts will foster significant advancements in maritime autonomy and develop new coastal capabilities tailored to critical national security priorities. BlueHalo will also embed its Titan and SkyView Radio Frequency (RF)-based counter-uncrewed aircraft system (C-UAS) technologies as payload within the K3, K4, and K5 lineup, enhancing mobile maritime UAS detection and neutralization abilities.
“This expansion into maritime operations is one of several initiatives we have been strategizing as part of our long-term vision. The capability to swiftly and effectively adapt our leading-edge technologies to related domains empowers us to outpace competitors and broaden BlueHalo’s protective reach,” stated Jonathan Moneymaker, BlueHalo Chief Executive Officer. “Kraken’s inventive spirit and dedication to customer success align perfectly with our ethos, and we are thrilled to introduce these revolutionary offerings to the field.”
“Collaborating closely with BlueHalo on the integration of K3 has revealed evident synergies in both vision and expertise. This collective venture enables Kraken and BlueHalo to share these innovations across our additional vessels and explore further opportunities to satisfy essential customer demands,” said Mal Crease, Founder and CEO of Kraken Technology Group. “Delivering transformative capabilities swiftly is our primary goal, and this partnership ensures our ability to meet the increasingly growing market needs.”
The BlueHalo AI/ML-driven autonomous platform will act as the primary core for autonomous operations and functions within the Kraken USV and USSV—overseeing mission-centric operations, sustaining situational awareness, signaling directives to the autonomous maritime controller, facilitating multi-vessel swarming, and supporting hybrid maritime and terrestrial “marsupial” functions.
BlueHalo possesses extensive technical expertise in delivering cutting-edge autonomous capabilities, which includes R&D, engineering, systems development, fabrication, prototyping, manufacturing, integration, and sustainment activities. This proficiency fostered the creation of HaloSwarm—a groundbreaking, autonomous drone swarming technology unmatched in mission efficiency and performance, previously unavailable to defense personnel. The company also offers a complete ecosystem of uncrewed solutions meticulously designed for any environment, including the Intense Eye UAS, which is featured on the U.S. Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Blue UAS Cleared List for thoroughly vetted and policy-compliant commercial UAS.
Kraken has a proven history of swiftly developing and manufacturing revolutionary, scalable coastal platforms in high volumes. The K3 SCOUT is a cost-effective, low-signature, high-performance autonomous multi-mission USV suitable for both commercial and military applications. The K4 MANTA is a distinctive, innovative scalable platform currently under development, designed to transport multi-mission payloads over extensive distances before submerging for covert infiltration, persistent reconnaissance, or loitering operations. The K5 KRAKEN will be the quintessential, purpose-built, high-performance coastal gunship, adept at rapid solo or swarming precision strikes in defense of coastal or maritime assets.
