UK-Made Drone Boat Was Used in Strike on Russian Supply Ship
A British autonomous-boat startup has secured access to the fastest-moving R&D environment for naval USVs in the world: the Ukrainian attack-drone campaign in the Black Sea. Kraken Technology, based in Foreham, UK, has supplied its K3 Scout boats for use in at least one live strike on a Russian vessel, industry sources confirmed to Scottish paper The Times.
A clearer footage of the moment of destruction of a Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel (USV) in the Russian port of Sochi earlier on Thursday. The USV was on its way to strike the NEFRIT multi-purpose offshore vessel (green hull) but was hit by Russian gunfire before being able to reach its target. At that time, the NEFRIT vessel was already damaged from the impact of another Ukrainian naval drone.
— Status-6 (@Archer83Able) September 3, 2026
On September 3, at least two USVs entered the port of Sochi, Russia and made an attack run on a Russian offshore construction vessel, the Nefrit. One strike USV penetrated the perimeter and damaged Nefrit's port side; a second made an attempt but detonated before reaching target, likely hit by defensive fire.
"The unwavering British support for our Ukrainian allies continues and you can see why it is something the whole country cares so deeply about . . . British industry is a key pillar of the fight against Russian aggression and we support collaboration towards that effort," an industry source told The Times.
An attack drone observed by bystanders during the Sochi strike, Sept. 3 (Russian social media)
Kraken K3 in trials (file image courtesy Rheinmetall / press handout)
The K3 is a 28-foot boat with low-observable design and a top speed of about 55 knots. Its 600 kilogram maximum payload is enough to deliver a punch in a one-way attack role, and it can also be equipped to carry FPV drones. It has a range of about 650 nautical miles, enough to reach Sochi from Odesa, but there are additional ways to get it closer to target. In trials off the UK earlier this year, the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force repeatedly dropped a K3 out of the back of a cargo plane, parachuting it into open water for insertion in remote operating areas. The Scout survived four drops in a row, according to the Royal Navy.
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The K3 has also been tested with a rare feature for a small USV: an optional 3D air and surface search radar, built for detecting small aerial targets at long range for an extended early warning role.
Kraken is growing fast, securing $175 million in investment in a Series B funding round earlier this year. It has its own 35,000 square foot plant in Fareham, and hopes to build 1,000 units per year. Foreign backers include German defense giant Rheinmetall, which is providing manufacturing capacity for 200-1,000 units per year in Germany. In a transatlantic partnership, Anduril Industries is building the K3 and larger K7 for its U.S. Navy customer in the United States.
