For the upcoming deployment of a Carrier Strike Group to the Indo-Pacific, the Royal Navy will seek to develop and deploy unmanned vessels for the first time, in line with the trend of incorporating aerial drones for support tasks observed during the current operations of HMS Prince of Wales. This development was confirmed last Tuesday by the current First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, General Gwyn Jenkins, who is the first to hold this position with a career in the Royal Marines.
Quoting some of General Jenkins’ statements—the first since he assumed the role in May: “This is not an aspiration for a distant future. It is an immediate necessity. This will create a larger and more lethal fleet, with greater agility and resilience.” He also added that the Royal Navy will advance toward a hybrid fleet concept, which will also integrate unmanned jet aircraft, with the delivery of a conceptual demonstrator scheduled for next year.
It is worth recalling that the first operational trials with aerial drones were conducted using Malloy T-150 systems during Operation Highmast, which deployed the aforementioned carrier to the Indo-Pacific, currently on its return voyage to the United Kingdom. Specifically, as reported by the Royal Navy on 1 September, a T-150 flew from the deck of HMS Prince of Wales to the destroyer HMS Dauntless, facilitating the transport of critical supplies that were previously carried by larger, more expensive helicopters.
Furthermore, it was highlighted that the integration of naval drones into Carrier Strike Groups depends critically on the timely progress of the new Type 26 frigate program, with three ships (HMS Glasgow, HMS Cardiff, and HMS Belfast) scheduled for delivery by 2030. The City-class, as these ships are also known, will replace the older Type 23 frigates and will feature enhanced capabilities to operate unmanned, AI-controlled platforms. For each of these frigates, the Royal Navy plans to deploy two unmanned naval drones as escorts.
However, this plan raises concerns about how the British shipbuilding industry is executing construction. Previous local reports indicated that the program faced delays of up to 12 months for the Initial Operational Capability of the new Type 26 frigates, shifting from the originally planned October 2027 to October 2028. Additionally, cost overruns have been reported, estimated at £233 million—around 4.2% of the original budget—which the Royal Navy must address to keep the program on track.
This issue is of concern not only to military authorities but also to industry leaders. Carlos Zaffanella, current president of Ultra Maritime, recently noted that Western governments are demanding features not included in the base designs submitted by companies, creating these cost and schedule problems. Shane Arnott, senior vice president of programs and engineering at Anduril Industries, echoed this concern, comparing it with China to highlight the 5-to-1 shipbuilding ratio favoring the Asian giant over Western countries.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
You may also like: The F-15Js and F-35As of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force trained with the F-35Bs from the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in the Sea of Japan
