The Royal Navy has commissioned its first autonomous squadron, establishing a unit intended to operate uncrewed surface vessels on front-line missions.
The 1st Autonomous Squadron, based in Portsmouth, was formally commissioned at His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth on 5 November, with more than 200 navy personnel, officials, guests, and others in attendance.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
During the event, the squadron demonstrated its Kraken and Rattler uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), controlling their movements in Portsmouth Harbour from a shore-based hub.
The announcement comes ahead of the Atlantic Future Forum and the International Sea Power Conference being held in Oslo, where the future of Euro-Atlantic security and military technological innovation are top priorities for allied leaders.
According to the Royal Navy, the new unit replaces Project Beehive, the Royal Navy’s earlier programme for acquiring and testing autonomous and crewless boats. It will operate individual vessels and contribute to task groups alongside other organisations and allied nations, while supporting the introduction of further USVs into the fleet.
The squadron has about 180 personnel, divided into two watches to support round-the-clock operations. It will work with Navy Develop, the Navy’s Disruptive Capabilities and Technologies Office, and the Capability Accelerator on future capability development.
The Capability Accelerator, established in 2025 and part-funded by UK Defence Innovation, has also opened a hub at Portsmouth.
The Royal Navy said the organisation is intended to speed the delivery of autonomous and uncrewed equipment for operational use.
The 1st Autonomous Squadron commanding officer, Commander Helen Coxon said: “The sailors of the 1st Autonomous Squadron are building the skills, the tactics and the confidence to operate uncrewed vessels on the front line.
“Our job now is to put these vessels to work, whether on their own or as part of a task group alongside our allies, and to bring new uncrewed systems into the fleet as quickly as we responsibly can.”
The squadron forms part of the service’s “hybrid navy” concept, under which crewed warships and aircraft would operate alongside autonomous systems.
The concept is supported by £1.5bn ($2bn) of investment over four years, according to the Royal Navy.
The squadron’s creation follows Royal Navy trials in mid-October involving the launch of British-made Nyan Maritime one-way drones from HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Manufactured in Wiltshire by Callen-Lenz, the drones operated from the carrier’s flight deck alongside F-35B aircraft during trials in the North Atlantic.
The Navy said those trials demonstrated the concept of a “hybrid carrier air wing”, combining crewed aircraft and drones in carrier operations.
