Rheinmetall Starts Drone Boat Production in Hamburg Port

1,000 boats per year Rheinmetall Starts Series Production of Drone Boats

2026-04-21 Source: dpa 1 min Reading Time

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The defence group Rheinmetall has begun series production of unmanned surface vessels at the Port of Hamburg. Initially, approximately 200 drone boats per year are to be built at the Blohm+Voss shipyard, Rheinmetall said. Production could be ramped up to as many as 1,000 units annually.

Drone boats have repeatedly been used successfully by Ukraine in defending against the Russian invasion. Rheinmetall is producing the surface vessel together with the British manufacturer Kraken Technology Group. The joint venture Rheinmetall Kraken GmbH was founded for the boat’s production.

Suitable for military or civil use

The K3 Scout vessel can be configured for military or civilian roles. It is remote‑controlled and is intended to be capable of autonomous operation in future.

The companies unveiled the vessel in March at the Blohm+Voss shipyard. Tim Wagner, head of Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems division, said at the time that orders from NATO countries had already been secured. The Düsseldorf‑based DAX group Rheinmetall completed the acquisition of the naval company NVL, which included the Blohm+Voss shipyard, in early March. The seller was the Bremen shipbuilding group Lürssen.

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