British Royal Navy Tests Rattler Unmanned Boats to Escort Warships in Landmark Trial.

The British Royal Navy used unmanned Rattler surface vessels to escort warships during a live simulation off Scotland’s coast, remotely controlling the boats from over 500 miles (800 kilometers) away. The exercise marks a milestone in autonomous fleet escort operations and future maritime defense strategy.

In a landmark trial showcasing advances in naval autonomy, the British Royal Navy remotely piloted seven Rattler unmanned surface vessels (USVs) from more than 500 miles (about 800 km) away to escort HMS Tyne and accompanying ships off the coast of Scotland on October 28, 2025. Over a 72-hour mission, the Rattlers performed coordinated escort, formation, and surveillance tasks, validating the concept of long-range uncrewed support for naval fleets. Defense officials described the test as a defining milestone in modern maritime operations.
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On October 28, 2025, a Rattler unmanned surface vessel leads the British Navy's offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne in a live escort operation during a 72-hour British Royal Navy autonomy demonstration off the coast of Scotland. (Picture source: British Royal Navy)

The Rattler is a 7.2-meter fully autonomous surface vessel based on a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) platform, custom-built for the British Royal Navy to operate in contested, denied, or high-risk environments without placing personnel in harm’s way. Outfitted with a tailored autonomy package and advanced military-grade sensors, Rattler is designed to conduct surveillance, reconnaissance, escort, and security missions either independently or as part of a synchronized swarm. It can navigate pre-programmed routes, adjust course dynamically, and relay real-time sensor data to remote command nodes via secure communications links. The modular architecture of the Rattler allows for rapid reconfiguration with mission-specific payloads, including electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) cameras, radar, and electronic support measures, making it an adaptable asset for both peacetime operations and high-tempo conflict scenarios.

The exercise marks the most advanced showcase yet of the British Royal Navy’s commitment to rapid procurement and field experimentation under its Disruptive Capabilities and Technology Office (DCTO). While the Rattlers prowled the waters of the North Sea, the entire operation was orchestrated from HMNB Portsmouth, specifically from aboard XV Patrick Blackett, the British Royal Navy’s innovation testbed ship turned command hub for this milestone.

Established to accelerate the delivery of next-generation naval capabilities, the Disruptive Capabilities and Technology Office serves as the British Royal Navy’s spearhead for experimentation with emerging and non-traditional technologies. Its mission is to identify, test, and rapidly field high-impact solutions that could shift the balance of naval warfare in the United Kingdom's and its allies' favor. The DCTO is tasked with breaking through legacy procurement cycles by working directly with frontline operators and UK industry to prototype and deploy technologies faster and more flexibly. By enabling live experimentation with platforms like the Rattler, the DCTO is reshaping how the British Royal Navy adapts to technological change in real-time.

Adopting uncrewed boats like the Rattler delivers several strategic advantages for the British Royal Navy. First and foremost, it reduces personnel risk by enabling missions in hazardous or contested areas without endangering sailors. The ability to swarm and operate autonomously provides commanders with a new level of situational awareness and tactical flexibility, particularly in grey-zone operations where attribution and persistence are key. Furthermore, the small size and portability of the Rattlers allow them to be quickly deployed from ships, shores, or the air, opening new options for littoral security, chokepoint monitoring, and forward reconnaissance in areas where traditional vessels would be too large or too vulnerable. Operationally, these platforms provide cost-effective force multiplication, enabling a single manned vessel to coordinate and control multiple unmanned assets, thereby expanding the British Royal Navy’s reach and endurance.

This wasn’t a lab-controlled test or a scripted demonstration. The Rattlers executed a real-world scenario: escorting HMS Tyne and HMS Stirling Castle, posing as high-value foreign warships, through contested waters. Five of the Rattlers, remotely directed by British Royal Navy sailors, Royal Marines, and British Army personnel, operated autonomously in Scotland, simulating distributed fleet operations at scale.

Each 7.2-meter Rattler is a fully crewless, rapidly deployable vessel built atop a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) hull and augmented with high-grade military sensors, situational awareness packages, and mission-specific modular payloads. Designed to perform solo or in coordinated swarms, the vessels can be launched from road trailers, aircraft, or sea-based platforms, enabling expeditionary missions across any theater.

What sets this project apart is not just the technology but the procurement model. In an unprecedented timeline, the British Royal Navy moved from concept to operational testing in mere months, bypassing traditional acquisition bottlenecks. This effort involved close collaboration between military operators and a UK-based consortium of small- and medium-sized defense technology firms. Rather than building in isolation, developers worked hand in hand with uniformed end users to co-design the vessels, iterating in real time to meet frontline requirements.

Officials close to the project describe it as a paradigm shift in naval capability development. Unlike earlier unmanned prototypes tested by the British Royal Navy, the Rattlers represent the first fleet of customized autonomous boats built specifically for operational use without a crew. The swarm is capable of executing pre-programmed missions, dynamic re-tasking, and, in future iterations, AI-driven autonomy, allowing full independence from human input.

Inside sources confirmed to Army Recognition that the Rattler fleet is already being eyed for deployment beyond UK waters. Its ability to conduct persistent surveillance, area denial, or serve as decoys or delivery platforms for electronic warfare and reconnaissance payloads has attracted attention from NATO allies looking to replicate the model.

UK Defense officials highlighted the exercise as a major step toward realizing the British Royal Navy’s Future Maritime Operating Concept, in which manned-unmanned teaming becomes central to fleet operations. The Rattlers’ role in distributed maritime operations, especially in grey zone or peer-adversary scenarios, is expected to grow dramatically over the next 24 months.

This demonstration also aligns with broader UK defense goals outlined in the Integrated Review and Defense Command Paper, which prioritize speed, innovation, and cross-service integration. With the British Army, Royal Marines, and British Royal Navy already engaged in operating and developing uncrewed systems together, the Rattler program stands as a template for agile capability development across British forces.

The British Royal Navy is now evaluating options to expand the Rattler program to operational capability, with further integration trials planned in 2026 involving NATO task groups and a possible live deployment in the Indo-Pacific. For now, the message is clear: Britain is not just experimenting with naval autonomy, it’s operationalizing it.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.