Sefine signs MoU with Kraken Robotics for sonar integration
Kraken Robotics' Katfish towed synthetic aperture sonar displayed at the Saha Expo exhibition in May 2026. (Janes/Tristan Sauer)
Türkiye's Sefine Shipyard-owned Strategic and Unmanned Systems Research Center (SİSAM), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Canada's Kraken Robotics during the Saha Expo exhibition held in Istanbul from 5-9 May 2026.
As part of the agreement, SİSAM intends to integrate Kraken's Katfish synthetic aperture sonar (SAR) into its mission planning software and develop automatic target recognition capabilities for it.
SİSAM's automatic target recognition is designed to process high-resolution sonar data in near real time. It uses algorithms and image processing techniques for signal analysis, classification, targeting support.
SİSAM and Kraken said they want to establish an integrated workflow for sonar-based target detection and identification, developing an AI-supported data library to underpin it.
Both companies performed a demonstration of Kraken's Katfish, and the launch and recovery of Sefine SİS off the coast of İstanbul in April 2026.
The SİS has a length of 15 m, a beam of 3.85 m, a maximum displacement of 26 tonnes and a top speed of 30 kt. It has an operational range of around 1,000 n miles and an endurance of up to seven days. Propulsion is provided by twin diesel engines driving waterjets or propellers, according to Sefine.
The SİS USV can be remotely controlled or autonomous, according to Sefine. It's software can be used for mission planning, sensor fusion, and AI-assisted target recognition. For communications it has radio frequency (RF) line-of-sight, satellite and 5G/LTE connectivity.
Go beyond the headlines - with direct links to interconnected entities
Get full access to validated equipment, military capabilities, and market insights.
