The UK Royal Navy (RN) has visibly ramped up its efforts to enhance its uncrewed capabilities at sea in recent months, demonstrating its ambitions to develop a hybrid fleet to keep the country’s maritime defences on a global footing, despite the service’s relatively small size.

While the RN is already considered a technologically advanced force internationally, its current focus on getting uncrewed underwater vessels (UUVs) and uncrewed surface vessels (USV) into the field as quickly as possible is underpinning its ability to both tackle emerging threats and to work more closely with its allies, particularly within NATO, who are advancing their own uncrewed technologies... Continues below

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In June this year, in response to the government’s Strategic Defence Review, UK Secretary for Defence John Healey highlighted the Royal Navy’s (RN) move towards a new “hybrid navy” in a statement to the House of Commons. Noting that “the world has changed”, the focus across all the UK’s armed forces is increasingly on tackling unpredictable threats while reducing the human and economic cost.

The hybrid navy ambition will see the likes of the four new Dreadnought-class submarines currently in production for the RN, the planned AUKUS-SSN submarines and “cutting-edge warships” working in unison with new autonomous vessels across the force.

In terms of spending power, the UK Ministry of Defence confirmed in July that it would spend more than £4 billion (US$5.26 billion) on uncrewed and autonomous military systems during this parliament across the air, land and sea domains.

Schiebel - Leading the unmanned evolution

Recent projects demonstrate RN’s push to keep up

Earlier this month, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) published a preliminary market engagement notice under an initiative titled “Project Beehive”, setting out the RN’s requirement for “a fleet of 20 uncrewed surface vessels” (USVs) for its surface flotilla (SURFLOT).

With a total contract value of £10 million (US$13.17 million), the MoD has set an estimated contract date of between February 2026 and February 2028. It noted that the USVs will be “key to maintaining operational relevance against peer threats”, adding that the transition to a hybrid navy will require development and testing of new technologies with the SURFLOT fleet acting as test beds.

Around a month prior to this, the RN successfully tested five remotely operated uncrewed boats at a distance of 500 miles in what Cdr Michael Hutchinson, commanding officer of both the newly formed Fleet Experimental Squadron and Experimental Vessel Patrick Blackett, described as a “really important moment” in the RN’s progress towards a hybrid navy.

The 7.2m Rattler boats were made to swarm around HMS Tyne and HMS Sterling Castle in a demonstration of a real-life scenario of escorting a warship off the coast of Scotland, according to the RN. They were remotely piloted by sailors and Royal Marines on board the XV Patrick Blackett at the Portsmouth naval base.

It marked the first time the navy had procured a flotilla of customised, uncrewed surface vessels, with the boats being delivered in a matter of weeks, according to the service; signalling the force’s intent for fast progress in this arena.

Hutchinson added: “In recent years we have seen the effect that autonomy and uncrewed systems can have at sea, on land and in the air, especially in Ukraine. In the maritime domain in particular the effect has been remarkable, with simple, cheap, one-way effectors used to defeat complex and capable warships and deny them freedom of manoeuvre at sea.

“USVs are also being used for reconnaissance, patrol, constabulary and survey tasks, so they are incredibly versatile and it is critical that the Navy develop these systems and train people with the skills to operate them to match the threat of our adversaries and ensure that we remain ready to lead, fight and win.”

Atlantic Bastion concept for anti-submarine warfare

A key part of the RN’s transformation towards a hybrid fleet is in the force’s Atlantic Bastion concept, where uncrewed escorts will operate alongside the RN’s new submarines and Type 26 frigates to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO against threats from the modernising Russian submarine fleet.

The Type 26 City-class is a global combat ship and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessel designed for the RN but also selected for export by Australia, Canada and Norway. The uncrewed escort vessels will be able to carry out independent operations alongside this frigate, with the ability to find, track and act against adversaries, said the RN.

According to Shephard Defence Insight, the Type 26 frigates will feature an integrated mission bay and hangar capable of supporting multiple helicopters, such as two Wildcat or Merlin helicopters, as well as UUVs, boats, mission loads and disaster relief stores. A launcher can also be provided for fixed-wing uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), and the flight deck is capable of landing a Chinook helicopter.

Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins, head of the RN, said the escorts will be “sailing alongside our Royal Navy warships within the next two years” as the force continues to try and speed up development of its “new capabilities and technologies”.

Atlantic Bastion's aim to boost the defences of the UK and NATO in the North Atlantic was further bolstered in August when Norway announced its intention to procure BAE Systems’ Type 26 frigate under a £10 billion deal for five ships. At the time, both countries highlighted the advantages of a single type operating in a combined force in the far North Atlantic Ocean, reducing costs as well as enabling more seamless operations.

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