Royal Navy to hold experimental maritime uncrewed systems event

The Royal Navy is looking to scale up its maritime uncrewed systems (MUS) ambitions by seeking participants for an experiment planned in March 2027. 

According to a UK Ministry of Defence request for information (RFI) on 31 March, the first Annual Maritime Uncrewed Systems Experiment will provide a structured “sandbox” in which to test uncrewed capabilities. 

Through the experiment, the navy is aiming to accelerate MUS development into practical application by supporting the adoption of new systems across defence, industry, and academia. 

More detailed objectives include the development of MUS command and control and encouraging the integration of AI. 

Organised by the Disruptive Capabilities and Technology Office, the event will be conducted in a “segregated water space” of approximately 250km2 in the UK. 

This will be complemented by a separate small-scale trial to assess all participating platforms prior to deployment in the experiment. 

It follows a series of independent tests involving MUS as part of the Atlantic Bastion programme, and acquisitions of new platforms by allied nations, such as Australia. 

According to the RFI, the experimentation programme will assess systems at varying levels of maturity under different operational use cases. These include force protection, support for amphibious operations, and MUS-enabled air operations. 

Systems will be tested in a range of different environments, including open ocean, rivers, and littoral zones, as well as air and cyber domains. 

The RFI is to ascertain wider industry appetite for participation and to inform the Royal Navy of technologies currently available across the market. Interested suppliers are asked to provide details of what equipment and technologies they would like to demonstrate. 

Planning conferences have yet to be confirmed, although they are likely to be held at HMNB Portsmouth. 

The closing date for submissions is 17 April.