Kraken Robotics press release
As part of this contract, Kraken will deliver its Katfish towed Synthetic Aperture Sonar, Tentacle Winch and Autonomous Launch and Recovery System (ALARS) in the second half of 2021. Kraken’s equipment will be integrated onboard the Polish Navy’s new KORMORAN II Mine CounterMeasure (MCMV) vessels in Gdansk, Poland.
Karl Kenny, Kraken President and CEO noted: “We are very pleased to sign this contract to supply our KATFISH and ALARS systems for the Polish Navy’s new minehunting vessels. Kraken is honoured to be working with such a strong NATO ally. Due to confidentiality reasons, Kraken cannot disclose specifics about the contract – other than to say that it is significant and that we expect it to be a strong enabler within other NATO nations.“
“Should the Polish Navy be successful in exporting its new KORMORAN II MCMVs to other countries, we could see additional Katfish and ALARS sales opportunities in these international markets.”
Karl Kenny, Kraken President and CEO
“The building of new capabilities and acquiring the most advanced equipment is necessary to counter the naval mine threat in the difficult Shallow Water and Very Shallow Water zones. This was our goal during long and complex trials of our first ship, ORP KORMORAN. Kraken’s Katfish has met all our requirements, as evidenced by our tests at sea,” Captain Piotr Sikora, Chief, Naval Warfare Systems Branch, Armament Division, Polish Navy Inspectorate said.
“The unique capabilities of this system will provide us with much greater efficiency and will allow us to build strength for the 21st century. We are convinced that with such an advanced Synthetic Aperture Sonar onboard, our new MCM Vessels under the Polish and NATO flag will make a huge contribution to build both national and international security at sea as we face the naval mine challenges of the 21st century,” he added.
Recently selected by the Danish Navy, the Katfish towed SAS sonar system consists of an remotely controlled smart towfish, SAS imaging, bathymetry and gap-filler sonars, launch and recovery system, operator console, and visualization software. Thanks to its synthetic aperture sonar technology, the Katfish acquires over 3 billion pixels per 3km2 per hour of area coverage rate, which is « 30 times more detail than conventional side scan sonar », according KRSI.