UK Royal Navy notes hybrid air wing progress with eyes on Peregrine drone development
The Royal Navy’s Peregrine UAV. (Photo: Crown Copyright)
The UK Royal Navy (RN) has made progress on its Maritime Aviation Transformation (MATX) initiative, with a British official revealing that further plans to expand on the implementation of the force’s Peregrine uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) were being discussed.
Disclosing the RN’s ongoing MATX developments at Defence IQ’s International Military Helicopter 2026 conference this week, the official outlined recent successes and noted the MATX strategy as “firmly embedded” within the RN’s defence capability plans.
The Peregrine drone, which is an RN variant of the Scheibel Camcopter S-100 UAV, is a rotary-wing tactical system fitted with a Thales-I lightweight airborne surveillance radar.
The RN had
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Air Warfare
-
US plans to raise defence production by 300% but multiple uncertainties remain
The strategy, schedule and budget to support Washington’s intention to speed up the manufacturing of defence capabilities remain unclear.
-
Switzerland faces procurement shake-up with reduced F-35 buy and five-year Patriot delays
The reduction in the number of planned F-35A aircraft from 36 to 30 by the Swiss government comes due to budget constraints, with no firm plans to fill the gap despite “negative consequences”.
-
What will the replacement of A-10s by F-35s mean for the US Air Force?
The USAF plans to phase out its 162 in-operation A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthogs by the end of FY2026, replacing them with F-35As which will bring a leap in capabilities in terms of lethality, survivability and speed.
-
Embraer turns to AI solution for A-29 Super Tucano CUAS evolution
The AI solution is called Gunslinger, which will be used to assist the pilot in decision-making for counter-drone operations.