A 72,000-ton aircraft carrier that doubles as a launch base for kamikaze drones—a feat not to be imagined. Yet the Royal Navy has done it, achieving a perfect success rate. Four launches, four targets struck from the deck of HMS Queen Elizabeth.
- The HMS Queen Elizabeth conducted four launches of the kamikaze drone Nyan from its deck, hitting all four designated targets.
- These tests, conducted during Neptune Reach B, form part of the Project Vantage program bringing together the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force.
- The aircraft carrier also tested the Tekever AR5 logistics drone, capable of carrying around 80 kilograms for reconnaissance missions.
- A giant aircraft carrier transformed into a launch ramp for kamikaze drones
- Nyan, the one-way drone that never returns to its starting point
- Four launches, four successes: the Royal Navy’s bet in the North Atlantic succeeds
A giant aircraft carrier transformed into a launch ramp for kamikaze drones
The HMS Queen Elizabeth is no ordinary ship. At 71,650 tonnes, it is the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy. A leviathan of the seas, originally designed to accommodate fighter aircraft and helicopters.
But this aircraft carrier has just added another string to its bow. During trials in the North Atlantic, it served as a launch platform for unmanned strike drones. A first for this vessel, and more broadly for the British navy.
These tests are part of the Neptune Reach B exercise, whose objective is clear: to understand how to integrate unmanned systems into future aircraft carrier operations. A preparatory exercise had already taken place earlier in the year, named Neptune Reach A, from the experimental ship XV Patrick Blackett.
The carrier did not only host attack drones. During Heavy Lift Challenge 3, a fixed-wing drone named Tekever AR5 also operated from the deck, a first of its kind. With a wingspan of about 7 meters and a payload capacity close to 80 kilograms, this aircraft is designed for logistics and reconnaissance missions, far from the offensive profile of its strike cousin.
Nyan, the one-way drone that never returns to its starting point
The real protagonist of these trials is called Nyan. More precisely, the Nyan One-Way Effector, developed by Callen-Lenz, a subsidiary of BAE Systems. Its name already reveals a good portion of the puzzle.
A one-way craft is a one-way drone. Picture an arrow shot toward a target: once released, it never returns to the bow. Nyan functions on the same principle. Once launched, it streaks toward its objective and does not return to the aircraft carrier.
With a wingspan of 2.9 meters, the aircraft remains relatively compact. Its mission is single and definitive: to strike a designated target, without a return phase, unlike conventional drones designed to be recovered and reused.
Four launches, four successes: the Royal Navy’s successful bet in the North Atlantic
On paper, testing a new weapon system from an aircraft carrier always carries a degree of uncertainty. This time, the result was decisive. Four launches of the Nyan drone were performed from HMS Queen Elizabeth, and all four reached their designated impact points.
A perfect score that is not trivial. It confirms both the drone’s reliability and the carrier’s ability to integrate this type of operation into its daily operations.
These tests are part of a broader framework called Project Vantage. This program coordinates the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force, with the aim of accelerating testing of future one-way strike systems for maritime operations.
Lieutenant-Commander David Burton, the Royal Navy’s capability lead, stressed that Neptune Reach B provided key insights for future carrier strike operations. A reminder that these tests are only a step, not a conclusion.
Between the attack drone Nyan and the Tekever AR5 logistics drone, HMS Queen Elizabeth sketches the outlines of a new generation of aircraft carriers, where humans increasingly share the airspace with autonomous machines. It remains to be seen how these technologies will evolve once outside the experimental frame.
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