Balaena, Kongsberg Team Up to Bring Arctic Hunter USV to Royal Navy
and autonomous technologies.Arctic Hunter is designed for uncrewed naval operations in extreme Arctic conditions, combining Kongsberg Maritime's commercial vessel designs and remote and autonomous technologies with sonar and military communications capabilities from UK defence technology company Thales.The proposed vessel is intended to provide persistent submarine detection capabilities in the High North, using a commercial shipbuilding approach designed to accelerate construction and delivery.Under the proposed program, the vessels would be built at Balaena's Birkenhead shipyard in the UK
Kongsberg Maritime Unveils Arctic Hunter USV
technology has also already received flag-state approval from classification society DNV and the Norwegian Maritime Authority. The Arctic Hunter USV is designed to be built at pace by commercial shipyards, with military capability integrated by the defense industry. The vessel is equipped with Thales UK’s sovereign submarine-hunting sonar and secure military communications systems. Significant payload capacity and deck space allow the vessel to accommodate alternative or additional mission systems throughout its operational life.Operating from a forward support base inside the Arctic Circle
Follow the Money
acquired the UK's Covelya Group, including Sonardyne, EIVA, Forcys, Wavefront Systems, Voyis, and Chelsea Technologies, with technology offerings spanning underwater acoustics, sonar, navigation, imaging, and autonomous systems, significantly broadening Kraken's subsea portfolio.France’s Thales agreed to acquire the Gorgé family's 35.5% stake in compatriot Exail Technologies and launch a tender offer for remaining shares, valuing Exail at about €3.9 billion ($4.6 billion). The deal aims to create a global leader in autonomous maritime systems, underwater warfare, and inertial
Saildrone Introduces High-Endurance Anti-Submarine and Strike USV
, maneuvering surface target, scheduled for this summer during the US Navy’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, will directly support Spectre’s development by de-risking the integration between a Saildrone platform and Lockheed Martin’s payloads.Saildrone is also working with Thales to integrate the Combined Active Passive Towed Array Sonar-4 (CAPTAS) Variable Depth Sonar on Spectre. This project expands on previous Office of Naval Research-funded work, integrating Thales Australia’s BlueSentry array on the Saildrone Surveyor
Thales Introduces New Sonar 76Nano for the Underwater Battle Space
Thales has introduced the prototype of Sonar 76Nano, a miniaturized acoustic detection system intended to redefine maritime security for the UK, NATO, and their allies. Building on the world-class legacy of the renowned Sonar 2076, the Sonar 76Nano directly supports the UK Government’s Strategic Defence Review and Defence Industrial Strategy ambitions to strengthen national security and UK industrial capability.Thanks to its modular and flexible design, Sonar 76Nano can be deployed onboard a wider range of uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) and seabed monitoring systems rather than being limited
Kraken Robotics Appoints New Executives
Stelia North America, an advanced materials subsidiary of the Airbus Group. He previously served as President of Ultra Sonar Systems, leading over 850 UK, Canada, and Australia-based staff in the delivery of underwater sensing capability to global naval customers. Earlier in his career, Mills worked for Thales, another maritime systems developer, with roles in both France and Australia.Mills is currently Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI). His expertise spans strategic growth (through both business capture and mergers and acquisitions), operational
Thales, HII Partner to Develop Autonomous Undersea Mine Countermeasure Capabilities
HII and Thales announced the successful integration and field exercise of the Thales SAMDIS 600 sonar with HII’s next generation REMUS 620 medium unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV).The integration demonstrates the compatibility of Thales’ multi-aspect synthetic aperture SAMDIS 600 sonar with HII’s modular, long-endurance REMUS 620 UUV. Together, the systems deliver advanced autonomous mine detection, classification, and imaging, offering naval forces and partners around the world enhanced capability for undersea security, mine countermeasures, and subsea infrastructure monitoring.
Uncrewed Survey Solutions Makes Key Appointments
contributing to the development of new products to match market needs. Trish was previously Regional Sales Manager at Teledyne Geospatial (CARIS/Optech), specializing in geomatics. Prior to this, Trish worked within the Offshore Survey Industry as a Data Processor and Cartographer for Racal Survey/Thales Geosolutions onshore and offshore. With a lifetime interest in oceanographic surveying, Trish has a Degree in Physical Geography with Mapping Science. Liam Eagling has joined USS as a Field Engineer, having previously worked for USS on placement whilst studying for his Renewable Energy Engineering
New Royal Navy USV to Neutralize Mines
, called Ariadne, that will be used to detect mines.This advanced technology is expected to increase operational tempo, and it eliminates the needs for sailors to enter mine danger areas.Royal Navy Motor Boat (RNMB) Ariadne can be deployed from a harbor or mother ship to scour the seabed for mines, using Thales Towed Synthetic Aperture Multiviews systems.The vessel can operate either fully autonomously or remote-controlled by operations in the portable remote command center.Fitted with AI automatic target recognition, Ariadne can filter and refine vast amounts of data allowing operators to speed up the
August 2026
