By Islam El-Sakka
The Royal Navy has successfully launched strike drones from an aircraft carrier for the first time, marking a historic milestone in naval aviation. The trials took place in mid-October in the North Atlantic aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth.
British-Made Drones Tested
Nyan Maritime one-way drones, manufactured in Wiltshire by Callen-Lenz, took off from the carrier's flight deck. The flights demonstrated how autonomous strike systems could operate alongside F-35B stealth jets. The drone had previously been launched at sea from the experimentation ship XV Patrick Blackett earlier this year.
Defence Secretary Emphasizes Innovation
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the threat environment has fundamentally changed and that the ability to innovate fastest determines military power. He linked the trials to the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, stating the investment strengthens warfighting readiness and deterrence.
Heavy Lift Challenge 3 Conducted Simultaneously
During the same period, the carrier hosted Heavy Lift Challenge 3, which saw a Tekever AR5 fixed-wing uncrewed aircraft operate from a carrier for the first time. The AR5 has a 7-meter wingspan and can carry an 80-kilogram payload. Lieutenant Commander David Burton, trials sponsor for Navy Capability, said the trials provide evidence to decide how uncrewed systems can work alongside crewed aircraft.
Part of Wider Modernisation Plan
The trials form part of the government's Defence Investment Plan to modernise the Armed Forces. More than £5 billion is allocated for autonomous systems by 2030, including at least £1.3 billion for a hybrid fleet of crewed and uncrewed ships, with the first large autonomous vessels due in service by 2030, and at least £210 million for low-cost, long-range one-way attack drones for the Navy, Army, and RAF.
