By Dr. Ann Griffiths, 25 July 2026
Davie Shipbuilding in Levis, Quebec, made an interesting announcement in the past week. The federal government is calling on industry to step up on domestic capacity in defence and technology – it included uncrewed and autonomous systems as one of 10 sovereign capabilities it’s looking to enhance. In this regard, Davie is launching a subsidiary – Davie Autonomous Inc. – dedicated to manufacturing autonomous boats. It will set up in Ontario (gasp) and will focus on manufacturing Kraken’s K3 Scout vessel in partnership with Kraken Technologies. (The K3 Scout is an uncrewed surface vessel (USV), 8.4-metres long with a maximum speed of 55 knots and the ability to carry a 600-kilogram payload.) To do this, Davie Autonomous will use a production network it plans to set up across Ontario, where apparently it’s in “advanced negotiations” with several sites. The hope is to make use of the manufacturing, composites, robotics and automation expertise in Ontario to build a product to serve both domestic and export markets. The company plans to announce the facilities and its production schedule by the end of this year.
Image: An image of a Kraken K3 Scout. Credit: Reinmetall Kraken GmbH
