Royal Navy strike drone launch from HMS Queen Elizabeth, Digi Mart USA News (North Atlantic): Four strike drones were launched from the deck of the supercarrier HMS Queen Elizabeth during an exercise that the Royal Navy presents as a step toward combining uncrewed combat aircraft with crewed fighter jets and other assets. The launches took place in the North Atlantic during Exercise Neptune Reach B and Heavy Lift Challenge 3.
The 65,000-tonne carrier launched four Nyan strike drones developed by Callen-Lenz, a BAE Systems subsidiary. The launches used a bespoke pneumatic catapult assembled directly on the flight deck, which the source says shows the system could be retrofitted to any vessel with sufficient deck space.
Because the Nyan is a loitering munition designed for one-way strike missions, the drones do not need to be recovered on deck.
According to the Royal Navy, the Nyan drones operated alongside a TEKEVER AR5 medium-altitude, medium-endurance uncrewed aerial vehicle. That aircraft provided surveillance, logistics and targeting support, enabling all Nyan strike effectors to reach their designated targets.
The Royal Navy is developing a hybrid fleet and hybrid carrier air wing to support its carriers, pilots and F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters. The publisher notes that strike drones must be able to operate from short take-off and vertical landing carriers such as the Queen Elizabeth class, which use ski jumps rather than the catapult systems used by the US and French navies.
The trials are also hoped to help NATO reinforce deterrence patrols in the Greenland–Iceland–UK gap.
Lieutenant Commander David Burton, trials sponsor for Navy Capability, said the trials provide evidence on how uncrewed systems can work alongside crewed aircraft. He said the lessons will help build a hybrid navy that gives commanders greater choice while keeping the carriers at the forefront of naval warfare.
