"Almost unrecognisable": First Sea Lord sets bold Hybrid Combat Air Wing targets to change HMS Prince of Wales

First Sea Lord Sir Gwyn Jenkins issued the first target for the new Hybrid Combat Air Wing, which will change how HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth are used. The Queen Elizabeth-class carriers will be supplemented with drones and other autonomous technology.

Speaking to the DSEI conference in London, the boss of the Royal Navy said this was not just a technological shift, but a strategic transformation in how the force projects power, preserves lives, and adapts to the pace of modern warfare.

“We will have Hybrid Airwings by the end of this decade, leading NATO nations in a new way of air warfare from the maritime,” the First Sea Lord said. “By the time the Carrier Strike Group returns to the Indo-Pacific for its next episodic deployment, its Carrier Air Wing will be almost unrecognisable – a fusion of crewed and un-crewed platforms, optimised for speed, survivability, adaptability and combat power.

“To bring this to life, to make it real, with your help. We intend to launch the first jet-powered collaborative platform drone as a concept demonstrator off a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier as soon as next year.”

What is a Hybrid Combat Air Wing?

The concept was originally set out in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) published in June. A Hybrid Combat Air Wing is a military formation where Britain’s 65,000 tonne carriers will be supplemented with fighter jets and advanced autonomous systems such as drones and other un-crewed vehicles.

F35-B fighter jets will remain a major component, having showcased their capabilities during HMS Prince of Wales’ Carrier Strike Group deployment on Operation Highmast. The aircraft will be used alongside single-use drones.

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“Our job is to be ready to fight with what we have now, not what we hope to have in the future,” the First Sea Lord added. “Within 100 days, we will have defined, war-gamed and agreed a plan to ensure the Royal Navy is credible and moves to warfighting readiness over the next four year.

“To do this we need to transform ourselves and we need your help, your partnership. We will all, together, need to lead our allies into a different way of warfare, rediscover how to fight at scale and have the courage to transform so that we can win that fight. Lead, fight, win – to make Britain secure at home and strong abroad.

“We need partners in industry, large and small, to deliver the innovation we must have. I thank you for all you already do for us, and I look forward to what we will do together in the years ahead.”