Navy

Patrol ship HMS Trent sends heavy-lift drone into Caribbean skies in a River-class first

24th August 2026 at 4:16pm

Heavy-lift drone takes off from HMS Trent in first for River-class patrol ships — Remote pilots and engineers from 700X Naval Air Squadron carried out the test sorties from HMS Trent (Picture: Royal Navy)

The Malloy T-150B on HMS Trent's flight deck during trials in the Caribbean (Picture: Royal Navy)

Malloy T-150B heavy lift drone closeup — The Malloy T-150B can operate by day or night and is fitted with thermal-imaging equipment (Picture: Royal Navy)

The Malloy T-150B lifts off from HMS Trent during the first heavy-lift drone flights from a River-class Batch 2 patrol ship (Picture: Royal Navy)

Malloy T-150B flies around River Class Batch 2 OPV — The T-150B can carry up to 68kg, remain airborne for 40 minutes and reach speeds of 60mph (Picture: Royal Navy)

first flight of a heavy-lift drone during operations in the Caribbean — HMS Trent's bridge and flight-deck teams worked alongside 700X Naval Air Squadron during the launches and recoveries (Picture: Royal Navy)

HMS Trent at sea — HMS Trent is patrolling the Caribbean during hurricane season, when it may be called upon to support British Overseas Territories after a major storm (Picture: Royal Navy)

HMS Trent has become the first River-class Batch 2 patrol ship to operate a heavy-lift drone at sea.

The Malloy T-150B was launched and recovered from the warship's moving flight deck during a series of test flights in the Caribbean.

Remote pilots and engineers from Scout Flight 700X Naval Air Squadron carried out the sorties, working alongside HMS Trent's bridge and flight-deck teams.

The Malloy can lift up to 68kg, remain airborne for as long as 40 minutes and reach a top speed of 60mph.

Its range varies from 13km to 37.5km depending on the weight of its load. Fitted with thermal-imaging equipment, the drone can fly at night.

Drone delivery between ships takes place on CSG25

The Royal Navy is considering using the aircraft to deliver food, water, medical aid and other supplies to communities cut off after a natural disaster.

"This new capability is a fantastic addition to our toolset for humanitarian aid and disaster relief," Commander Gavin Lowe, HMS Trent's Commanding Officer said.

"The team have worked hard to integrate the system into our operations and we're all very pleased to see the concept realised."

Lieutenant Charles Harper, Scout Flight Commander, said the experience would support "more complex resupply operations in the future".

The Malloy has already been used to move supplies between larger Royal Navy warships.

In 2025, a T-150 carried spare and repair parts from HMS Prince of Wales to HMS Dauntless during the UK Carrier Strike Group's deployment to the Indo-Pacific.

The ship-to-ship flight covered just over a mile. The drone flew autonomously before personnel aboard HMS Dauntless took control and guided it on to the destroyer's flight deck.

HMS Trent is patrolling the Caribbean during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June to November.

The ship's deployment includes supporting British Overseas Territories in the event of a major storm and working with the US Coast Guard against drug trafficking.

In November 2025, HMS Trent was sent to Jamaica after Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, where personnel from the ship carried out emergency repairs at a school and hospital.