UK warships to use Drones for resupply

The Royal Navy is set to deploy a fleet of T-150 uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) later this month.

Nine T-150 quadcopters will carry out essential tasks including transporting defense equipment, food, and small packages across the task group’s vessels.

With a maximum payload of 68 kilograms and a top speed of 60 miles per hour, the drones are expected to alleviate the demand on helicopters, enabling those assets to focus on their core mission of force protection.

Neil Appleton, CEO of BAE Systems’ Malloy Aeronautics, said in a statement, “It’s an exciting moment to see the Royal Navy deploying with our T-150s as an efficient and cost-effective ship-to-ship resupply logistics solution. We are proud to contribute to this important deployment and look forward to watching these versatile drones prove their worth during operational duties.”

The drones will be operated by 700X Naval Air Squadron, the Royal Navy’s specialist unit for unmanned aviation. A team of 12 sailors from the squadron will manage the deployment, initially across three ships to assess performance under operational conditions.

“There is a statistic from previous carrier strike deployments that shows 95 per cent of stores transferred weigh less than 50kg,” said Lieutenant Matt Parfitt of 700X NAS. “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.”

The deployment of the T-150 aligns with the Royal Navy’s broader push to integrate unmanned systems into its operations, especially in roles where speed, cost, and efficiency can be improved.

Malloy Aeronautics has developed several models in its UAS portfolio, with current systems capable of lifting up to 200 kilograms. Efforts are underway to extend that capacity to 300 kilograms in future variants.

The Carrier Strike Group deployment is expected to provide valuable data on the T-150’s operational performance, helping to refine its role in naval logistics and expand its future application across the fleet.