Drones to do the donkey work so Navy helicopters are free to fulfil key roles
As part of the upcoming Carrier Strike Group 25 deployment, the Royal Navy is sending along a fleet of Malloy T-150 drones to support logistics.
It is the first time they have been deployed operationally, with 700X Naval Air Squadron, the Navy's drone experts, working out how to integrate them into the task force.
Former Commodore Steve Prest, who served on HMS Queen Elizabeth, told BFBS Forces News the drones will be able to take on some of the work normally carried out by helicopters.
"It means you can use those hours for something that only the helicopters can do," he said.
"And so you can take this perhaps slightly more routine load lifting between ships away from them so that they can concentrate on other more important tasks."
Cdre Prest said this could see the drones carry out roles such as moving a bag of mail or a box of toilet rolls from HMS Prince of Wales to the other ships.
"They'll bounce around all the different ships, swapping the batteries and transferring all the different bits of cargo, I would anticipate," he said.
He also said the deployment would see 700X Naval Air Squadron really test the operational capacity of the drones.
"Can you operate them, for example, at the same time as you're flying F-35s off the deck? What electronics systems do you need to turn off so that they can operate safely?" he said.
"Are they compatible in that sort of electromagnetic sense? How do you synchronise the operations? How do you even land them on moving platforms?
"There's a bit of piloting that's required to get it onto the flight deck of a moving ship."
Flying in all weathers
Just as the ship's movement causes variables, another factor that must be considered is the weather.
Although the Molloy T-150 is designated all-weather capable, there will be limitations.
And Cdre Prest said it can get pretty sketchy on the smaller ships.
"They're going across a lot of different parts of the ocean and they'll encounter a lot of different conditions," he said.
"Some of it will be hot and sunny and lovely, some of it will be strong winds and heavy seas.
"Landing on the back of frigates in heavy seas and high winds can be a pretty tight business.
"And I've been on frigates where it's been a little bit hairy, to be honest."
For more reports about Carrier Strike Group 25 click here.
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