700X NAS will deploy with nine Malloy T-150 UAVs on the CSG 25 deployment to the Indo-Pacific, providing ship-to-ship transfers of supplies between the task group.
This long-term operational trial of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the resupply role comes following an extensive range of tests involving HMS Prince of Wales, which will lead the Carrier Strike Group 25 (CSG 25) task force, and various types of UAV.
700X Naval Air Squadron (NAS), based at RNAS Culdrose, will field nine Malloy T-150 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) UAVs on the deployment, along with a number of RQ-20 Puma fixed wing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) drones. The Puma has been operated by 700X for several years, but the T-150 is a more recent acquisition.
A fleet of T-150’s visited the flight deck of @HMSPWLS this week offering 3 new capabilities: deployment of a @HydroidInc AUV, ship cargo transfers and life-raft delivery for sea rescue. An interesting year head for maritime #autonomy pic.twitter.com/93sp1RlTQn
— Malloy Aeronautics (@MalloyAero) July 31, 2020
Lieutenant Matt Parfitt, a Flight Commander in 700X NAS, explained: “We only got these Malloy systems last August. Since then we’ve had to learn how to fly and maintain them and how to integrate them into the crewed aviation space.”
The T-150 is powered by eight electronically driven rotors, allowing speeds up to 60 miles per hour and an endurance between 20-40 minutes. A payload capacity of 68 kilograms means the drones will not fully replace manned helicopters for all resupply tasks, but Lieutenant Parfitt added: “There is a statistic from previous carrier strike deployments that shows 95 per cent of stores transferred weigh less than 50kg. They could be anything from parcels from home to a vital engineering part.”
“In the past we’d have used a helicopter if a part was urgently needed on another ship. This time we’re going to use a remotely-piloted, uncrewed system instead. We are aware that we’re trialing new things and, because it’s not been done before on this scale, the eyes of the fleet will be on us.”
Amid crew shortages in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), which operates logistics and auxiliary vessels for the Royal Navy, CSG 25 will deploy without a dedicated solid stores support vessel. RFA Fort Victoria, the only remaining ship of this type in the RFA, has been laid up in reserve status for a number of years.
Fleet tanker RFA Tidespring is able to carry some stores, but lacks the solid stores resupply rigs of more specialized ships. HNoMS Maud, a Royal Norwegian Navy ship that will also join CSG 25, is a dual-purpose resupply vessel with a larger solid stores capacity compared to the Tide class. Neither can match the stores transfer capacity of Fort Victoria, and would rely primarily on vertical replenishment (VERTREP).
VERTREP would usually involve the use of a Merlin or Wildcat helicopter’s internal or underslung cargo capability to transfer stores across different ships. With the T-150, many of these VERTREP tasks would no longer need to use up the flight hours of these critical resources.
While the payload capacity per trip is lower, a fleet of drones can work alongside each other to transport cargo in smaller segments and achieve the same end goal as using a manned aircraft.
Without a dedicated carrier on-board delivery (COD) aircraft like the C-2A Greyhound or CMV-22B Osprey, Royal Navy carrier groups instead use Merlin or Chinook helicopters to shuttle cargo to and from land bases. Ships attached to the strike group can also visit friendly ports, particularly those with an established Royal Navy presence like Bahrain and Singapore, to pick up goods directly and then transfer on to other ships as necessary.
Proof of Concept
In the longer term, the Royal Navy plans to integrate UAVs into its operations to an even greater degree. Moving beyond simple logistics tasks, the service seeks to use unmanned platforms for more complex sorties including anti-submarine warfare (ASW), airborne early warning (AEW), and even weapons delivery.
In 2023, Malloy’s larger T-600 UAV demonstrated a capability to carry and launch a Sting Ray Mod 2 lightweight torpedo. This same torpedo equips the Royal Navy’s Merlin HM2 and Wildcat HMA2 helicopters.
BAE Systems, Malloy hail first torpedo drop from unmanned T-600: A BAE Systems and Malloy Aeronautics team has successfully dropped an inert BAE Sting Ray Mod 2 lightweight torpedo from an electric-powered T-600 unmanned air system, as they work to develop an operational capa … pic.twitter.com/GJkOWr8H2W
— FlightGlobal (@FlightGlobal) September 27, 2023
Leonardo is currently building the first of its unmanned Proteus helicopters, which features a configurable mission bay that has been shown to allow for the carriage and deployment of sonobuoys and torpedoes, as well as a radar module and cargo space.
The Proteus is expected to commence flying trials in 2025. Tests of the helicopters’ ASW capabilities will likely be carried out from Predannack Airfield, which has become a frequent testing ground for 700X NAS and is now the home of the UK’s National Drone Hub.
Though the project has yet to be given the go-ahead, it is known that the Royal Navy has prepared plans for a significant refit for its Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers known as ‘Project Ark Royal’ which could involve the installation of catapults and arresting wires to support the operations of larger drones.
Here’s a video showing the ‘Mojave’ drone during take off and landing onboard HMS Prince of Wales. The aircraft, capable of carrying sensor pods, missiles and other payloads, is the largest drone to land on a carrier outside of the U.S. Navy. pic.twitter.com/k6nae4ZOz8
— UK Defence Journal (@UKDefJournal) November 17, 2023
Even before such a conversion, the carriers’ large decks provide ample room for the operation of many types of rotary wing and fixed wing UAVs. This includes the short take-off and landing Mojave, developed by General Atomics, which is derived from the company’s existing MQ-1C Gray Eagle and MQ-9 Reaper products.
These combat-capable drones would be valuable force multipliers for the Royal Navy carrier force, which is currently limited by slow deliveries of the F-35B Lightning II and a lack of integrated strike weapons on the aircraft beyond Paveway IV.
