What's next for the Pentagon after the Replicator programme?
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Kraken Robotic Systems’ AquaPix mini synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) system with real-time processing has been successfully integrated and tested onboard a US Navy REMUS 600 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) operated by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.
The SAS system has been developed to detect underwater mines during naval operations by obtaining ultra high-resolution target data at long ranges.
An effective minehunting system requires at least 5cm of target pixel resolution and this can be achieved with SAS at ranges of over 250 metres. Conventional side scan sonars can also achieve this resolution but at very short range, typically limited to less than 25 metres.
AquaPix is designed for AUVs as a replacement for conventional side scan sonars for various military applications. The technology also has potential in other underwater imaging applications including offshore energy, seabed surveying, marine archaeology, debris mapping and search and salvage operations.
Karl Kenny, president and CEO, Kraken, said: ‘The major concern of mine countermeasures is to keep sailors far away from the mine threat while having a high level of confidence in the detection and classification of possible threats.
'Real-time SAS signal processing onboard an AUV is a significant step forward from the current approach. Kraken's real-time SAS can increase safety, improve operational efficiency, reduce the mission risk of missing mines and significantly reduce and/or eliminate post mission analysis time.’
Although the Replicator initiative has made several accomplishments, there are still multiple gaps to plug across the US Department of Defense (DoD) and its services.
Cummings Aerospace presented its turbojet-powered Hellhound loitering munition at SOF Week 2025, offering a man-portable solution aligned with the US Army’s LASSO requirements.
PDW has revealed its Attritable Multirotor First Person View drone at SOF Week 2025, offering special operations forces a low-cost, rapidly deployable platform for strike and ISR missions, inspired by battlefield lessons from Ukraine.
Teledyne FLIR is highlighting the emerging requirements for 'recoverable and re-usable' loitering munitions across the contemporary operating environment during this week’s SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida.
High-performance maritime industry player Kraken Technology Group, based in the UK, has used the SOF Week conference in Tampa, Florida this week to debut its K3 Scout uncrewed surface vessel (USV) to the North American market.
Red Cat and Palladyne AI recently conducted a cross-platform collaborative flight involving three diverse heterogeneous drones.