The Royal Navy are carrying out trials with a drone in a drive to increase the efficiency of inspections.
Cherry pickers and scaffolding towers have been replaced at Portsmouth Naval Base with a tiny remote-controlled aircraft.
They're hoping the small craft will be able to produce high quality surveys of its ships, especially with regard to hard to access sections such as the masts of Type 45 destroyers - which reach 100ft into the air and are vital to the Sea Viper missile system.
Drones could do away with the need to turn around a ship and could even allow vessels to carry out detailed inspections of their super-structure while at sea.
The innovation is designed to enhance operational capability and flexability, potentially allowing vessels to stay at sea for longer.
Currently flown by the MOD's Maritime Combat Systems team the drone being used to inspect HMS Diamond weighs just 2.5kg and can withstand windspeeds gusting to around 40mph.
Royal Navy Trials Drone To Cut Inspection Costs
“It’s a long way up the mast of a Type 45 and managing the material state of the cutting edge systems at the top is a challenging but essential task.” explained Lt Steve Lovatt, who used to serve in Diamond’s sister HMS Duncan and initiated the trial.
“This is normal business in the oil and gas industries when they’re inspecting rig. It’s quick, cheap, you could do it wherever the ship is, the results are with you in minutes.
“But there’s huge long-term potential, well beyond inspecting masts or even the hull, which can be explored as the technology matures.”
Diamond’s Commanding Officer, Cdr Marcus Hember, said his team were delighted with the trial.
“The ability to reduce time and cost during these maintenance periods as well as allowing ships to diagnose their own defects at sea will enhance the operational capability and flexibility of the Navy deployed worldwide,” he said.
There will be more trials involving this and other unmanned technologies over the next 16 months in the run up to a Joint Warrior exercise in Scotland in the autumn of 2016 when there will be a major demonstration of automated naval systems.
