British Royal Navy Embarks Drones on Aircraft Carrier to Free Helicopters for Key Missions.

As it prepares for a major deployment to the Indo-Pacific, the British Royal Navy is trialing the Malloy T-150 quadcopter drone aboard its flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales. The integration of this heavy-lift unmanned system marks a practical shift in how the Navy handles logistics at sea, aiming to reduce the burden on expensive crewed helicopters by assigning routine resupply missions to drones.
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British Royal Navy sailors from 700X Naval Air Squadron control a Malloy T-150 drone on the HMS Prince of Wales flight deck during pre-deployment trials to test unmanned logistics capabilities. (Picture source: British MoD)

The drone operations are being carried out by 700X Naval Air Squadron, a specialized unit of the Fleet Air Arm based at RNAS Culdrose. The squadron is the Royal Navy’s center of excellence for Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS), responsible for testing new technologies, developing operational concepts, and training drone operators for the fleet. A 12-person team from 700X has embarked aboard HMS Prince of Wales to operate nine Malloy T-150 drones, which will be deployed across three ships within the Carrier Strike Group.

This deployment reflects the Royal Navy’s growing emphasis on unmanned capabilities as it modernizes its approach to naval warfare. During the upcoming mission, the T-150s will be used to transport items such as engineering components, rations, and personal parcels between vessels, freeing up helicopters to focus on their core missions including anti-submarine warfare and airborne surveillance. Based on lessons learned during earlier carrier strike deployments, the Navy found that up to 95% of supplies transferred by helicopter weighed less than 50 kilograms—an ideal use case for unmanned logistics.

The Malloy T-150, built by British company Malloy Aeronautics, is a high-performance electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) drone equipped with eight rotor blades, each about two feet in length. It can carry payloads up to 68 kilograms, reach speeds of 60 miles per hour, and operate for 20 to 40 minutes depending on the load. The system requires a team of two to operate—one to pilot the drone remotely, and another to monitor its control systems—and can fly manually or autonomously to pre-programmed waypoints with underslung cargo.

Beyond its technical specifications, the T-150's deployment signals a broader tactical and strategic shift. Traditionally, naval helicopters have performed dual roles: high-end tasks like force protection and surveillance, as well as routine logistics. By assigning the latter to drones, the Royal Navy improves efficiency, reduces operational fatigue on its helicopter fleet, and ensures that rotary-wing assets are always ready for higher-priority missions.

The use of drones also provides greater operational flexibility, allowing for rapid response in both peacetime and combat conditions. Drones can launch from smaller deck spaces, require less support infrastructure, and can safely conduct supply runs in scenarios where deploying a helicopter would be unnecessary or even risky. Strategically, the Navy sees this as a foundation for expanding the role of uncrewed systems in areas such as reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and communications support in the future.

This trial is part of a broader push by the British Ministry of Defence to fast-track the adoption of new technology across all branches of the Armed Forces. What once took years to introduce is now being implemented in months, as the Royal Navy adapts to rapid changes in modern warfare. If successful, the T-150 trial could pave the way for a new standard in at-sea logistics, reshaping how fleets operate and resupply during extended missions.

As The British Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales heads east, all eyes will be on the performance of these drones—not just as a test of the equipment, but as a glimpse into the future of autonomous naval operations.