Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide

Defence Security

HMS Tamar conducts drone trial

Drones could play a key role in tracking drug runners and smugglers after successful trials with the Navy’s newest class of ships in the Channel.



Above: The 700X Puma air system in use from HMS Tamar.
Courtesy Royal Navy

HMS Tamar made extensive use of small Puma aircraft during trials with the Royal Marines and the Met Police as the ship practices for ‘constabulary duties’ when she deploys for the first time this summer.

Although Tamar has a flight deck, she doesn’t carry a helicopter on a regular basis – there’s no hangar, so Merlin and Wildcat helicopters only use the ship for refuelling, collecting supplies or making a short stop.

Advertisement
DSEI 2025

The Puma could fulfil some of the helicopter’s intelligence-gathering role – with its 50-times zoom camera it feeds live footage back to a mother ship at ranges up to a dozen miles.

Building on their experiences aboard HMS Albion in the Mediterranean last year, a team from 700X Naval Air Squadron – the Fleet Air Arm’s only pilotless squadron – brought their drone to Tamar.

Just over 4½ft long, with a wingspan of 9ft and weighing as much as six bags of sugar, Puma can survey an area of up to 270 square miles of ocean – that’s larger than Greater Manchester – looking for suspicious activity during sorties lasting up to 2½ hours.

“We were under pressure to perform,” said Lieutenant Ash Loftus, Puma flight commander. “There are many additional challenges in preparing and launching safety from a ship. While it’s a relatively small aircraft, it has a large wing and requires some skill from the operator launching it from the ship.

“We completed 100 per cent of the tasks required of us by the ship. We were often flying out of line of sight to approach vessels, using the system’s cameras for identification purposes.

“We’d be in close communications with the officer of the watch and we were able to report back successfully on the identification of vessels.”

Puma is relatively cheap – certainly much cheaper than sending a helicopter up – easy to launch and recover, is difficult for foes to spot and keeps the ship out of harm’s way. In short, Puma gave Tamar ‘eyes in the sky’.

“It was of great use for investigating nearby vessels of interest,” said Lieutenant Commander Michael Hutchinson.

“We could easily see just how useful such a system could be for any future anti-piracy or counter-smuggling operations. It’s a significant enhancement of the ship’s capabilities and bodes well for the future.”

Tamar and her four sisters are being deployed around the world on long-term missions, operating from overseas ports and bases, patrolling regions of key strategic interest and importance to the UK.

Advertisement
Teledyne

Constabulary duties – counter piracy/terrorism/smuggling – are a key role of the new River-class ships.

Typically the vessels will work with Royal Marines boarding teams and a 50-man mess has been built into the ships to accommodate them. Yet there may be occasions when Tamar may be called on to work with local law enforcement agencies (such as her sister HMS Medway has been doing in the Caribbean, striking at drug-runners with the US Coast Guard).

The combined training with the Metropolitan Police in the Channel proved extremely useful for both the Navy and UK’s largest police force.

The Met used Tamar as their ‘floating headquarters’, turning her into a command and control vessel to marshal their RIB speed boats.

The latter are used to the sheltered waters of the Thames – their normal domain ends at Dartford Creek – and found operating in the choppy Channel rather difficult.

“Working with the police proved to be a new experience for all parties concerned – the main fruit was a much greater understanding of each other’s capabilities and how to most effectively make use of these depending on the operational context,” Lieutenant Commander Hutchinson added.

Tamar is now concentrating on preparing ship and ship’s company for her maiden overseas deployment, earmarked for this summer.

 

Advertisement
General Atomics LB
GKN Aerospace secures Typhoon transparencies contract

Defence

GKN Aerospace secures Typhoon transparencies contract

10 July 2025

GKN Aerospace has has signed a six-year follow-on contract with BAE Systems for continued manufacture of Eurofighter Typhoon transparencies at its Luton facility, through to the end of 2030.

Metis to supply Skyperion to NATO ally

Defence Security

Metis to supply Skyperion to NATO ally

10 July 2025

Metis has won a contract to supply a number of Skyperion drone detection systems to a NATO customer to provide the drone detect function as part of an integrated Counter Uncrewed Air Systems (C-UAS) capability.

ALL.SPACE unveils Hydra MAX

Defence Space

ALL.SPACE unveils Hydra MAX

10 July 2025

ALL.SPACE has revealed a major advancement in mobile satellite communications with the successful demonstration of Hydra MAX - the first network independent terminal of its kind to deliver ultra wideband communications to multiple satellites simultaneously.

BAE Systems assessed

Defence

BAE Systems assessed 'Awardable' for US DoD work in P1 Solutions Marketplace

9 July 2025

BAE Systems in collaboration with Defense Unicorns, have announced that their joint solution has achieved 'Awardable' status for US Department of Defense (DoD) work through the US Platform One (P1) Solutions Marketplace.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT
Government unveils Team UK approach to defence

Defence

Government unveils Team UK approach to defence

8 July 2025

UK Government plans to deliver jobs across the country by unlocking the full economic potential of Britain's defence sector are being unveiled today.

Construction begins on SLA accommodation at RAF Cosford

Defence

Construction begins on SLA accommodation at RAF Cosford

8 July 2025

Construction has started on a new 50-bedroom Single Living Accommodation (SLA) block at RAF Cosford in Shropshire.

Advertisement
ODU RT