The Royal Navy has carried out its first ship-to-ship delivery of supplies using an aerial drone, in an historic first for Britain’s Senior Service.
The space-aged Malloy T-150 octo-copter flew from flagship HMS Prince of Wales to destroyer HMS Dauntless during the navy’s major deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
The robot, built by Maidenhead-based Malloy Aeronautics, lifted off and flew autonomously for a mile before touching down on the £1billion Type 45 destroyer.
Military top brass have set their sights on expanding the use of unmanned drones, which are able to carry critical supplies like spare parts between warships.
It’s hoped the rollout of the hi-tech kit will help to slash costs and reduce the reliance upon helicopters to carry out the same tasks.
It comes as the navy continues a drive to revolutionise its two 65,000-tonne Queen Elizabeth-class supercarriers, equipping them with ‘hybrid airwings’, capable of flying F-35 stealth jets, helicopters and advanced drones.
The new T-150 octo-copter is capable of soaring through the sky at 60mph and can carry loads of around 65kg. However, defence specialists are working on drones which can shift up to 200kg.
Lieutenant Matt Parfitt, who carried out the operation, said: ‘This is a key milestone for the trial, achieved by all the hard work that everyone has put in. I’m proud to have achieved this first for the Royal Navy and excited to progress further over the duration of the deployment.’
The Royal Navy has carried out its first ship-to-ship delivery of supplies using an aerial drone, in an historic first for Britain’s Senior Service
The space-aged Malloy T-150 octo-copter flew from flagship HMS Prince of Wales to destroyer HMS Dauntless during the navy’s major deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
The drone is seen flying from the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales, soaring above some of the warship’s embarked airwing of helicopters and F-35 stealth jets
Captain Colin McGannity, Commander Air Group, UK Carrier Strike Group, said: ‘This milestone in the Malloy trials is a step toward the vision of a fully integrated hybrid carrier air wing.
‘By taking some of the logistics burden, Malloy will allow our naval helicopters to concentrate on their core outputs, while delivering, rapid, more efficient resupply across the whole Strike Group.
‘The really exciting bit is that we then plan to incorporate these lessons to be able to use UAVs for many other roles, including options for warfighting.’
The drones currently deployed on Operation Highmast – the name of the UK Carrier Strike Group’s eight-month mission to the Far East – have carried out nearly 150 deck landings and flown more than 20 hours of sorties.
In the latest phase, as HMS Prince of Wales and her escort warships made for port visits in Japan, the Malloy drone – an eight-bladed system operated by a crew of two – was launched as part of a trial by 700X Naval Air Squadron.
The crew of the T-150 let the drone fly by itself for more than a mile before then taking the control to land it on HMS Dauntless.
Luke Pollard, Armed Forces minister, celebrated the mission and said: ‘The Royal Navy is leading the way in shaping the future of Hybrid Air Wings, with the impressive progress showcased during Carrier Strike Group 25.
Military top brass hope to expand the use of drones like the T-150 to cut costs of delivering supplies ship-to-ship by the air, which is traditionally carried out by helicopters
Aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales is pictured departing Tokyo on Tuesday, September 2
The ship was given a warm send off from locals in Tokyo, who came out waving the Union flag
The British aircraft carrier is purpose-built to fly the new F-35 stealth jet (pictured on HMS Prince of Wales’s flight deck in Tokyo)
‘Embracing autonomy is pivotal to the way we will operate in the future, and this achievement stands as a powerful example of our armed forces working seamlessly alongside British industry to deliver cutting-edge innovation and capability at sea.’
HMS Prince of Wales set sail from Tokyo, Japan earlier today, following operations in the Mediterranean, Middle East, India and Australia since deploying in April.
During its time at sea, the carrier force has carried out a series of wargames with the Japanese Self Defence Force, Australian military and the US Navy.
The British-led taskforce is expected to return to the UK in December.
