OTA Award
British maritime company, Kraken, have been awarded a $49,000,000 cap OTA by USSOCOM as they continue their cross-continent expansion.
21 November, Fareham: Kraken Technology Group, a leader in advanced maritime platform innovation, is proud to announce it has been awarded an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement by the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The agreement supports the rapid development and prototyping of novel uncrewed surface and subsurface vessel technologies to enhance maritime capabilities for U.S. special operations forces.
Kraken have participated successfully in two SOCOM innovation cycles alongside the Norwegian and United Kingdom Governments. The company’s success stems from technology that is end-user driven, iterating platforms in close collaboration with operators. The OTA award marks a significant milestone in Kraken’s mission to redefine the operational potential of uncrewed maritime systems for allied nations. Under this agreement, Kraken will design, develop, and deliver prototype vessels that leverage cutting-edge materials, stealth characteristics, and modular mission payload integration.
“We are honoured to partner with USSOCOM in support of its mission to field disruptive maritime capabilities,” said Mal Crease, CEO of Kraken. “This OTA represents a validation of our technology roadmap and underscores the critical need for next-generation uncrewed platforms that deliver superior agility, survivability, and operational versatility in the maritime domain.”
Kraken has firmly established its footprint in Europe, successfully completing NATO’s Task Force X; attracting simultaneous funding from the NATO Innovation Fund and the British Business Bank’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund; fulfilling large-scale orders across Europe’s NATO countries; and successfully integrating with the UK Ministry of Defence.
Armed with this European momentum, Kraken is primed to break new ground, capture global markets, and forge powerful partnerships globally as they have shown through this most recent award.
Kraken’s approach combines advanced naval architecture with mission-driven design, tailored to meet the unique challenges of special operations. The uncrewed surface and subsurface vessels under development will feature autonomous navigation, low-observable technologies, and scalable sensor and effector options to support ISR, logistics, and direct-action missions across contested littoral environments.
The OTA mechanism enables USSOCOM to rapidly assess and integrate emerging technologies from non-traditional defence innovators like Kraken. This ensures that U.S. forces maintain a decisive edge in complex operational theatres. Kraken is excited to continue to scale up cross-continent so that the company can supply mission-ready maritime capabilities to the UK and its allies.
