Pilotless drone makes historic flight onto Royal Navy aircraft carrier
It's hoped the technology will be able to help ships in the Carrier Strike Group
A pilotless plane has flown on and off a Royal Navy aircraft carrier for the first time ever.
The autonomous drone flew from an airfield on the Lizard Peninsula to the deck of the Portsmouth-based HMS Prince of Wales, and back again.
There's hopes the milestone flight will be able to pave the way for drones to be deployed with the UK Carrier Strike Group in future.
The vehicles would be able to transfer supplies, such as mail or spare parts, between ships.
That would mean keeping the high-tech Merlins and Wildcats free for operational duties, and save pilots from having to operate them in poor and potentially dangerous weather conditions.
Captain Richard Hewitt, Commanding Officer HMS Prince of Wales said:
"HMS Prince of Wales is a fifth-generation aircraft carrier and operating autonomous drones like this will become the norm across future Royal Navy Carrier Strike Groups in our 50-year lifespan.
"We are all proud here in HMS Prince of Wales to achieve this – a fantastic milestone for all involved and the first of many firsts on this deployment to shape the future of Royal Naval Carrier Strike innovation as we prepare for our strike group deployment in 2025."
The Royal Navy joined forces with Southampton-based W Autonomous Systems, which is developing long-range, heavy-lift autonomous drones for defence.
The drones incorporate a ground-breaking autopilot system, eliminating the need to be controlled remotely by trained pilots, and are designed to operate in the most challenging environments.
After extensive preparations ashore, and attaining endorsements and authorisations from the Civil Aviation Authority, the HCMC drone took off from Predannack, the satellite airfield of RNAS Culdrose, and after a flight of about 20 minutes, touched down safely on the HMS Prince of Wales’ deck.
Once its symbolic payload of naval memorabilia was removed by crew, the aircraft was turned around and it was re-launched back to Predannack.
Stephen Wright, executive chairman and founder of W Autonomous Systems, said:
“This landing demonstrates the agility of our autonomous drone.
"We are hugely proud to deliver this ground-breaking trial for the Royal Navy and showcase the future of aviation."
HMS Prince of Wales will be operating off the Eastern Seaboard of the USA until Christmas as she conducts experiments with F-35 Lightning stealth fighters, MV-Osprey tilt-rotors, and the Mojave drone.