Royal Navy uses Puma drone to direct Merlin helicopter in operational first
Flying from tanker RFA Tidespring in the Atlantic, a Puma drone acted as the "flying eyes" for a Merlin Mk2 from 814 Naval Air Squadron, which turned off its radar and relied on live drone imagery to track suspect vessels.
The Puma, a lightweight fixed-wing drone operated by 700X Naval Air Squadron, has been used before for reconnaissance – but this was the first time it had guided a crewed aircraft.
Captain James Hall, Commanding Officer of RNAS Culdrose, said: "While this is only a relatively small step, it lays the groundwork for how we can build the integrated, hybrid air wing of the future.
"It allows us to work towards our ambition of routinely operating crewed and uncrewed air systems during the same operation.
"The challenge for our deployed crews is to identify where drones can support our warfighting capability, and where we can further improve.
"This allows the team back at RNAS Culdrose, under the leadership of 700X NAS, to spiral-develop the capability in terms of how it is employed and how it can be enhanced at pace.
"Ultimately, we are aiming to keep improving the combination of our crewed aircraft and maritime drones to keep pace with emerging technology and to accelerate the introduction of autonomy.
"The key concept here is what is known as a force multiplying effect – that is the ability to increase our effectiveness by combining our air and sea assets, rather than if they worked individually, and thereby increasing our warfighting capability."
The Puma is one of several drones being used by 700X NAS. Others include Malloy heavy-lift drones, trialled for carrying supplies between ships, and the Peregrine mini-helicopter, which has supported operations in the Gulf.
RFA Tidespring is supporting the UK's Carrier Strike Group as it continues its 2025 deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
For more reports about Carrier Strike Group 25, click here.
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