"This will be accelerated": UK pushing drones faster to boost HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth
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The government is pushing to integrate drones with the Royal Navy aircraft carriers faster.
Lord Vernon Coaker, Labour defence peer in the House of Lords, confirmed that the move to use autonomous systems on HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth is being accelerated. Plans were initially revealed in the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) for the Royal Navy to use a hybrid combat air wing, with the carriers at the heart of it.
Baroness Goldie, Conservative, asked the government in a parliamentary written question what progress has been made to get drones and other systems for the armed forces.
“For the Royal Air Force, Protector and Storm Shroud are entering operational service this year,” Lord Coaker said. “For the Royal Navy, the Concept of Hybrid Carrier Air Wings continues to develop to greatly enhance the striking power of our carriers.
“Molloy T150 un-crewed rotary wing logistics support air systems have deployed as part of OP HIGHMAST. The Peregrine rotary wing system has also entered operational service in the Gulf. Development continues on un-crewed surface vessels and un-crewed underwater vehicles.
“Further systems are under development or undergoing trials in a range of roles across both services. This will continue to be accelerated, with further workstreams through the Defence Investment Plan.”
The UK Defence Journal reports that many technologies are being explored, including Fixed Wing Autonomous Collaborative Platforms, and a carrier-capable un9crewed Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) pitched as a potential complement to the UK’s F-35B fleet.
What is a Hybrid Combat Air Wing?
Britain will be first European nation to use a hybrid combat air wing. It’s a military formation where the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers will be joined with fighter jets and drones. The SDR reviewers previously said the Royal Navy “must continue to move towards a more powerful but cheaper and simpler fleet”: a mix of “high-low” equipment and weapons that exploit autonomy and digital integration.
Long range weaponry will be installed on the carriers. F-35B fighter jets will be the main aerial component, with drones and other autonomous systems alongside them.