With the release of an official statement on January 24, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed that seven companies will compete to develop and produce new collaborative combat drones, which are intended to operate alongside the British Army’s AH-64E Apache helicopters. The initiative, referred to as Project NYX by the ministry, aims to advance the acquisition of an unmanned platform capable of complementing attack helicopters in reconnaissance and surveillance missions, target acquisition, and electronic warfare.
Quoting remarks from the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard: “These future drones will make the British Army more effective and lethal by improving our ability to strike, survive, and win on the battlefield. Project NYX represents the cutting edge of the Defence Industrial Strategy and works with leading UK industry partners to ensure the United Kingdom remains at the forefront of autonomous military technology.”
Expanding on the details known so far, the tender process follows the completion of a prior pre-qualification phase, which concluded last year with the following shortlist of UK-based companies: Anduril Industries (through its UK subsidiary), BAE Systems, Leonardo MW, Lockheed Martin UK, Syos Aerospace UK, Tekever, and Thales UK. From this group, the British government plans to move forward to the next phase of the project in March of this year with only four candidates, who will be given the opportunity to develop a concept demonstrator, with the goal of achieving Initial Operational Capability by 2030.
In particular, the new drones are expected to feature advanced artificial intelligence systems, designed to enable independent and flexible decision-making based on the operational environment in which they are deployed. The intent, according to the British government, is to reduce the workload faced by pilots operating in highly hostile environments, while also decreasing the number of personnel required for each mission. “Commanded, not controlled” is the concept used by British authorities in this regard.
Meanwhile, London has stated that these efforts are part of a broader process aimed at equipping the UK Armed Forces with a greater number of unmanned systems to enhance existing capabilities, both in terms of variety and quantity. The push to incorporate these new technologies forms part of the steps outlined in the latest Strategic Defence Review, which established that the country will require such developments to maintain the future lethality of its forces.
Finally, it is worth recalling that since last year the British Army has operated a fleet of 50 Boeing-built AH-64E Apache helicopters, primarily based at Wattisham Station in Suffolk, while some aircraft dedicated to crew training have been assigned to the Army Aviation Centre at Middle Wallop in Hampshire. Even without the collaborative combat drones mentioned above, these helicopters already represent a significant improvement over the previous Mk.1 variant, incorporating enhanced engines, optical and sensor systems, as well as upgraded weaponry.
Images for illustrative purposes only.
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