- Royal Navy trialled the Nyan one-way strike drone from XV Patrick Blackett under Project Vantage
- Made by BAE Systems’ Callen-Lenz, it aims to provide a lower-cost precision strike option, with more trials possible
- The test supports the UK’s “Hybrid Navy” shift and wider investment in drones and autonomy
The Royal Navy has tested a domestically produced one-way effector (OWE) drone, launching the system from the experimentation platform XV Patrick Blackett in a series of trials carried out under Project Vantage.
Involving the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force, Project Vantage is intended to test and evaluate maritime attack drones. The Nyan OWE involved in the latest test is the Nyan attack drone, designed and built by BAE Systems owned entity Callen-Lenz, designed to provide precision strike capability.
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Callen-Lenz is a BAE Systems FalconWorks entity that designs, develops, and manufactures novel uncrewed air systems.
The same platform was tested in May during Exercise Spring Storm in Estonia, as part of the UK’s apparent deep fire capability in support of Nato allies.
Lieutenant Commander David Burton, Maritime One Way Effectors capability sponsor, Royal Navy, stated that the trial marked a “significant step” in delivering maritime OWE, with potential future trials aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
“Britain is serious about the transition to a Hybrid Navy with new, powerful drones at the heart of the Royal Navy,” exclaimed Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry.
The UK Government’s so-called ‘Hybrid Navy’ plan for the Royal Navy has seen the cancellation of larger crewed platforms and programmes such as the Type 83 air defence destroyer and Type 32 frigate in favour of the Type 9X series of uncrewed systems, and an as-yet-unknown Common Combat Vessel mothership.
When contacted, BAE Systems declined to reveal platform specifications for the Nyan drone.
Drones, drones, everywhere
Suicide drones, officially known as OWE or loitering munitions, are drones that carry an explosive warhead and are flown into targets, a mobile evolution of the early 2000s-era improvised explosive devices.
In the UK’s long-delayed Defence Investment Plan, finally published earlier this week, the UK Government committed £5bn ($6.7bn) towards the integration of drones and autonomous systems into the UK Armed Forces through to 2030.
The relatively lower cost of suicide drones compared to advanced missiles has led to a surge in the use of such systems when attempting to saturate a target’s air defences.
Lessons being seen in the ongoing war in Ukraine, and Iran’s widespread use of the Shahed suicide drone in the Iran-US war, have provided clear evidence of the role that such capability can play in the modern battlespace.
However, the kinetic and explosive energy of a suicide drone, depending on size, weight, and payload (SWaP), will usually be far inferior to that able to be imparted to a target by a missile or long-range strike munition.
In addition, drones are still significantly more expensive per unit than munitions fired by a naval surface combatant’s main gun.
The UK Royal Navy currently fields the 4.5-inch (114mm) Mark 8 naval gun on its Type 23 frigate, which is able to engage targets at distances in excess of 25km, with the 40kg shell containing up to 10kg of high explosive material.
In future, the UK will operate the larger 5-inch Mark 45 Mod 4 naval gun, which can engage maritime targets beyond 37km range. The cost of a single shell from a Mark 45 Mod 4 naval gun is thought to be around $2,000.
Guided rounds cost significantly more, into the tens of thousands of dollars but are able to more accurately hit moving targets at sea.
