Kraken and Capewell conduct extracted-load airdrop of a USV

A Kraken K3 Scout USV being airdropped from an A400M transport aircraft during the trials. (Kraken Technology Group)

Kraken Technology Group and Capewell have conducted an extracted-load airdrop of a uncrewed surface vessel (USV) from an Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft, Kraken announced on Wednesday 8 July 2026. The company has claimed that the test was the world's first extracted-load airdrop of a USV.

During a series of four test drops over six working days, a Kraken K3 Scout USV was deployed via the extracted-load airdrop method using Capewell's Universal Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery System (UMCADS). The K3, on the UMCADS, was deployed from an A400M at an altitude of 1,300 ft into waters of up to sea state 4, Kraken said. The tests follow the August 2024 partnership announcement between Kraken and Capewell for the air deployment of the K3 using UMCADS.

The trials were supported by the UK Royal Navy (RN) under Project Beehive. Kraken said that the K3 deployed during the trials was of, “a Project Beehive specification.” The RN has acquired 20 K3s under the project and in May 2026, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that the USVs may form part of a future mission in the Strait of Hormuz.

Mal Crease, Founder and CEO of Kraken Technology Group, said that the trials, “demonstrated that K3 Scout can be rapidly deployed directly from a military transport aircraft into contested or difficult-to-access waters ready for operation.”

The trials also featured the K3's optional airdrop kit, which was combined with the Type V parachute-based UMCADS. Kraken added that the trials also featured a successful validation of a new, configurable electro-mechanical release mechanism.

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