What are these tiny Royal Navy boats sailing around Portsmouth? Extensive trials for un-crewed Rattler vessels
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Small futuristic Royal Navy boats have been tested extensively in the Solent over the past several months.
Visitors walking along the Hot Walls in Old Portsmouth may have noticed tiny vessels sailing by themselves, an unusual sight compared to ordinary maritime traffic.
These are Rattler-class boats, autonomous vessels that will be a part of the upcoming hybrid navy. Developed by Syos, a Fareham-based defence technology firm, these un-crewed surface (USV) vessels are expected to play a vital role in future operations.
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What are these ships?
The Rattlers are designed for extended autonomous operations and can be controlled from far away using satellites. During a tour where The News was invited aboard XV Patrick Blackett, the Portsmouth-based experimental ship, sailors were operating the boats using PlayStation controllers.
A pair of them were being sailed around the naval base and local vicinity, while others were traversing waters near Wales at the same time. They utilise radar and other systems to communicate with a mothership, while also being deployable from conventional warships.
Sophisticated cameras are equipped to them so they can see in daylight and infrared, with the ability to scope out objects at 360 degrees. These are passive infra-red cameras, where sailors can see objects that emit more infra-red radiation. Light and modular, the Rattlers can be packed into a trailer, brought to different locations, and be in the water quickly.
How long can they sail for?
The longest the boat can run for without needing to be brought back to land is roughly 28 hours, travelling at 23 knots. They do not have an anti-collision mechanism on board, but sailors at the controls can see obstacles through its radar.
Rattlers have been tested extensively in the Solent and elsewhere for more than 1,000 hours so far, with training sessions being organised at speed. There are currently seven available to the force, and they are projected to be part of the training fleet while others are procured.
How will the Royal Navy use them?
The primary use of the boats is in a force protection capacity. Details of specific use cases have not been disclosed for security reasons, but there are various possibilities.
This includes packs of these vessels being deployed to the North Atlantic to conduct patrols around undersea cables, alongside new modern Type 26 frigates. Threats from Russian submarines have been identified by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Rattlers have been used in service already, and once the hybrid navy is fully operational, sailors will be trained to control a mass of them at once.
It’s a possibility they can be used in Royal Marine amphibious landings. They do not need to be controlled from the warship they are deployed from, and can be steered from hundreds of miles away. In the past, the boats have been deployed from Largs in Scotland while being steered by personnel in Portsmouth.
Where can I see these boats in action?
According to the Portsmouth King’s Harbour Master, USV operations will be taking place from now until March 31, 2026. They will sail in the vicinity of Portsmouth Harbour, as well as Sandown Bay and Ryde, Isle of Wight.
On some operations, they will be accompanied by a Vahana SEA-class ship. Many of these Rattler boats have previously been seen from the Hot Walls and The Round Tower.