A total of nine T-150 Malloy drones have undergone nearly 150 deck landings while amassing more than 20 flight hours during the ongoing Operation Highmast.
The promise of drones delivering packages straight to our front doors hasn’t quite materialized, even as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved their use for that purpose more than six years ago. However, the UK’s Royal Navy has moved forward with the technology, carrying out the resupply between warships during the ongoing “Operation Highmast” deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
The Royal Navy announced this week that it conducted a drone-based resupply mission from the flight deck of the Carrier Strike Group 2025 (CSG25) flagship HMS Prince of Wales to the Type 45 Daring-class air-defense destroyer HMS Dauntless. A Malloy T-150 quadcopter, an unmanned aerial system (UAS), carried “critical supplies, including spare and repair parts from ship to ship,” the UK’s naval service explained.
Even more impressively, the drone flew “autonomously during take off and sorties,” flying more than a mile while operators on the destroyer then took control to “guide it onto the ship’s flight deck” for landing.
The drone-based resupply missions were conducted to assess how a UAS could provide a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to helicopter or boat transfers. It could further free up those assets to carry out other operational tasks, such as anti-submarine patrols.
The Royal Navy has sought to embark its two conventionally-powered Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers with “hybrid air wings” that could include short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) fixed-wing aircraft, such as the Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II, rotary aircraft, and a variety of advanced UAS. Beyond serving as resupply vehicles, the drones could also carry out intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions or combat operations.
“This milestone in the Malloy trials is a step toward the vision of a fully integrated hybrid carrier air wing. By taking some of the logistics burden, Malloy will allow our naval helicopters to concentrate on their core outputs, while delivering, rapid, more efficient resupply across the whole Strike Group,” said Captain Colin McGannity, Commander Air Group, UK Carrier Strike Group. “The really exciting bit is that we then plan to incorporate these lessons to be able to use UAVs for many other roles, including options for warfighting.”
HMS Prince of Wales arrived in Japan last week for a scheduled port visit before beginning the return journey to the United Kingdom.
About the T-150 Resupply Drone
The T-150 is an eight-bladed UAS that can carry up to 68 kilograms (150 lbs) of supplies or equipment while flying at speeds of up to 60 mph (96.5 km/h). The platform was developed by BAE Systems’ subsidiary Malloy Aeronautics, which produces UAS for both the military and civilian markets.
“This is a very proud moment to see the T-150 delivering real benefit for the Royal Navy, supporting vital logistics operations with an easy to operate and low-cost solution,” explained Neil Appleton, CEO of BAE Systems’ Malloy Aeronautics. “The trials demonstrate the value that Uncrewed Air Systems can bring to current, complex and costly operations.”
A total of nine T-150 Malloy drones have undergone nearly 150 deck landings while amassing more than 20 flight hours during the ongoing Operation Highmast, which began when HMS Prince of Wales departed from Portsmouth, England, in April. The T-150s are operated by a crew of two, with 700X Naval Air Squadron, the Royal Navy’s experimental drone unit, overseeing the trials.
“This is a key milestone for the trial, achieved by all the hard work that everyone has put in. I’m proud to have achieved this first for the Royal Navy and excited to progress further over the duration of the deployment,” said Lieutenant Matt Parfitt, 700X Pioneer Flight Commander.
The Royal Navy has carried out previous tests of the larger fixed-wing cargo drone, the W Autonomous Systems HCMC. It can carry a payload of 100 kg (220 lb) and has a range of 850 nautical miles; however, it requires a larger deck to land on, which limits the types of warships that can be supplied at sea.
Beyond supplying other warships in a carrier strike group (CSG), the T-150 could aid in an amphibious landing by bringing in supplies even if the landing zone (LZ) is considered “hot” and under enemy fire.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image courtesy of Malloy Aeronautics.
