Naval Warfare

Madfox takes to the water

29th March 2021 - 16:03 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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Madfox USV demonstrator. (Credit: LPhot Bradley/Crown Copyright)

A year of tests awaits for the latest UK Royal Navy uncrewed vessel.

The UK Royal Navy (RN) is continuing its efforts to explore the use of unmanned craft after welcoming into service the new Maritime Demonstrator For Operational Experimentation (Madfox) vessel.

Developed by L3Harris for NavyX ( the specialist wing of the RN that explores ways of boosting innovation in autonomous technologies), Madfox is derived from the Mast-13 vessel that underwent a series of trials beginning in late 2019.

‘Since being delivered, NavyX has been working hard to get Madfox to sea and ready to begin a demanding year of testing,’ the RN announced in a 26 March statement.

NavyX will carry out tests to see how USV technology can assist in surveillance and force protection operations.

‘With Madfox now directly in the hands of NavyX, the team will be able to explore a multitude of issues such as safety, regulatory compliance, new missions, new payloads and the role that a USV can play in complex operations and within the future fleet,’ said Cdr Antony Crabb, NavyX team leader.

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