The UK’s newest aircraft carrier is letting small drones take over some missions once done by helicopters

• The UK's newest aircraft carrier uses small drones for logistics and surveillance roles.
• They can be used instead of helicopters, said a flight deck officer aboard the HMS Prince of Wales.
• Britain is pushing to integrate aerial drones into its two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers.

ABOARD THE HMS PRINCE OF WALES — Small drones are taking on some jobs once reserved for helicopters aboard the UK's newest aircraft carrier, from ferrying supplies to conducting surveillance.

The HMS Prince of Wales is equipped with what the Royal Navy calls a "state-of-the-art" air wing that consists of F-35B stealth fighter jets, a mix of Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, and quadcopter drones.

Speaking to Business Insider during a visit to the Prince of Wales last week off the coast of Norway, a flight deck officer said the drones — made by British company Malloy Aeronautics — can carry up to 150 pounds. They take off from a space on the flight deck called the "graveyard," next to the ski-jump ramp where fighter jets launch.

The officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the Malloy drones can be used instead of helicopters for logistics and for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and that their use will only become more prominent over time. They won't completely replace crewed aircraft for these missions, though.

The $4 billion Prince of Wales was commissioned into the Royal Navy in 2019; however, it wasn't until 2025 that the UK first used a Malloy T-150 quadcopter to deliver supplies from the aircraft carrier to a nearby warship.

The Royal Navy said at the time that the goal of the trial was to find a "cheap and efficient alternative" to helicopter and boat deliveries. The T-150 flew just over a mile, but it has a maximum range of roughly 23 miles, according to Malloy.

The helicopter squadrons aboard the Prince of Wales are equipped to take on a variety of missions. The Merlin Mk4 Commando, for instance, can move troops from ship to shore and transport heavy cargo, while the Merlin Mk2 variant and the Wildcat offer advanced anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

But there are new opportunities in uncrewed systems. Britain is pushing to integrate drones into its two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers as part of broader efforts to make the military — at sea, on land, and in the air — more autonomous.

On Thursday, the Royal Navy announced that a strike drone was launched from the flight deck of the HMS Queen Elizabeth in the North Atlantic last month, the first such trial aboard one of the UK's aircraft carriers.

The trial marked an important step toward the Royal Navy's development of a "hybrid carrier air wing," a concept in which the UK is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to develop jet-powered drones to fly alongside its F-35s.

The mid-October trial also saw an AR-5, a fixed-wing drone made by the Portugese-British defense company Tekever for surveillance and logistics missions, operate from an aircraft carrier for the first time.

Similar drone trials could eventually be extended to the other carrier in the class; the Prince of Wales has already tested similar uncrewed systems from its flight deck.

Militaries around the world are increasingly integrating aerial drones into their naval operations, even constructing purpose-built ships and systems for at-sea missions.

NATO ally Turkey, for instance, as well as China and Iran, have converted vessels into drone carriers, and South Korea has tested the launch of uncrewed aircraft from an amphibious assault ship. Meanwhile, the US Navy has experimented with using a variety of drones for naval logistics and support missions.

In September, the US Department of Defense awarded Boeing Co. a $562 million production contract for the MQ-25A Stingray, a drone designed to refuel Navy fighter jets. The Pentagon has described this system as "the world's first fully integrated, carrier-based" uncrewed aircraft.

NATO militaries like the US and UK are also integrating other uncrewed systems into their surface fleets. Britain, for instance, recently launched its first squadron formed entirely of autonomous surface vessels to work alongside traditional warships.