Royal Navy Technology and Innovation

And so it begins…@XVPTBK has arrived in Tróia, Portugal 🇵🇹 for Exercise #REPMUS23, working alongside our NATO allies and partners-in-industry to experiment with cutting-edge uncrewed & autonomous systems above, on and below the waves🔬#RoadToREPMUS #GlobalModernReady #NavyX

Royal Navy experimentation ship #XVPatrickBlackett has sailed from @HMNBPortsmouth and headed to Falmouth. Her latest visit comes just days after she attended Bournemouth Air Show. The ship will be used on future deployments as a testbed for autonomous technology and equipment.

Aiding the fight against piracy... @HMSTrent, a @RoyalMarines boarding team and Puma surveillance air system have deployed to West Africa to deliver training to countries across the region as they seek to take the fight to malign actors. 🔽

@DefenceES @RFAStrlngCastle Together, the ship and autonomous boats will begin to replace traditional mine countermeasures vessels, instead exploiting a series of advanced payloads such as towed sonars and remotely-operated neutralisation systems from a Remote Command Centre (3/3) 🔗royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-lates…

The main aim of the trials, carried out with @DefenceES, were to prove autonomous vessels could be loaded on and off @RFAStrlngCastle and eventually controlled or remotely-piloted from the ship when she becomes operational. (2/3)

In the latest step of autonomous minehunting trials by the @RoyalNavy, three autonomous boats worked with @RFAStrlngCastle in Portland. RNMB Apollo, Hydra and Hazard can detect underwater threats and will be the type of kit Stirling Castle will one day host on board. (1/3)

And she’s off! 👋 XV Patrick Blackett has left Portsmouth today to start her sea acceptance trials. This experimental vessel will be used by the @RoyalNavy to test and trial new tech, kit and concepts, making sure the RN is always ready for action!

It's an exciting week this week as XV Patrick Blackett goes to sea for the first time under a blue ensign! The @RoyalNavy's NavyX team have been working hard since her arrival last year to get her to this stage. bit.ly/3YNDInv

Harrier's arrival in the Gulf is an important step towards autonomous mine-hunting operations. She is part of the ten-year programme for replacing the Navy's current fleet of MCMVs and her time in the region will lay the foundation for future autonomous kit (3/3)

The Atlas remote-controlled minesweeper boat will work with host ship @RFACardiganBay to conduct a series of trials. She tows a side-scan sonar to look for mines on the seabed, alerting units ashore or at sea of their whereabouts (2/3)

An autonomous mine hunting boat has joined @RoyalNavy units in the Middle East. RNMB Harrier can work autonomously or remote-controlled from a ship or shore-based centre and will be carrying out trials on how to operate in the demanding weather conditions of the Gulf (1/3)

Lt Cdr Howard, the squadron’s CO, said: “This project is just one strand of our work in researching, evaluating and deploying drone technology at the forefront of operations. It’s an important step in gathering knowledge in this ever-evolving field." 🔗royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-lates…

The 20kg octo-quadcopter is named Walrus after the flying boats pioneered by 700 Naval Air Squadron and flown from cruisers and battleships during the Second World War. (3/4)

The @RoyalNavy's drone experts 700X Naval Air Squadron have reached a milestone moment by building their own drone. The team at @RNASCuldrose have built the quadcopter from scratch, in a first for the unit. (1/4)

The drones resemble sailboards but are packed with sensors. Powered by the wind and sun, they can remain at sea indefinitely. The sensors can locate and identify training aides in the water and send back imagery with a view to using such vessels to monitor regional waters. (3/3)

Two exercises were run, the first with UK and US ships and personnel, the second also involving Bahrain and Saudi Arabia navies to see how the drones might be used by a task group. They could gather intelligence and beam it back in real time to ships and headquarters ashore (2/3)

Sailors and @RoyalNavy ships trialled the use of robot drones during a series of exercises in the #Gulf. Flotillas of sail drones could serve as the 'eyes and ears' for larger warships (1/3) 🔗bit.ly/3UsDEY7

"If we've got problems there's only one place where we can ask for those to be solved - and its Dstl" We were proud to showcase our work to @RAdmJamesParkin from @RoyalNavy Find out how our #science and #technology are helping to shape the future of defence @Navy_Innovation 👇

Meanwhile, @HMSHurworth hosted a next-generation variant of REMUS 100 – an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle used for mine countermeasures, harbour security and hydrographic surveys. The #RoyalNavy lead for the exercise said: "#REPMUS 22 has been a game-changer." (4/4)

Warship @HMSLANCASTER played a key role by serving as the command hub for the multitude of autonomous systems, feeding information to the other ships in the task force to allow them to make crucial decisions during the numerous scenarios. (3/4)

Frigate @HMSLANCASTER and minehunter @HMSHurworth led the way during a series of trials of autonomous technology. They joined NATO allies and partners to test a range of crewless drones, boats and underwater vessels. (1/4) #WeAreNATO 🔗royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-lates…