Royal Navy trials 10ft-long mini helicopter for first time
It's been launched from a Portsmouth-based warship as part of a mission to crack down on drug-smugglers in the Middle East
A mini-helicopter has taken flight from the deck of a Portsmouth-based Royal Navy warship for the first time.
The Peregrine, which is just three metres or 10 feet long, is the latest technology being deployed in efforts to hunt for drug-smugglers in the Middle East.
The remotely-piloted device was launched from the flight deck of HMS Lancaster, which is currently carrying out sweeps of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, in an area known as the 'Hash Highway'.
Peregrine has been launched on sorties by day and night, scouring hundreds of square miles of ocean on every flight, feeding data, live radar picture and imagery directly into displays monitored in the warship’s operations room.
Warfare specialist, Able Seaman Bradley Morris said:
"Being part of the team that used Peregrine in our counter-narcotics operations was a fascinating experience.
“The clarity of the images we obtained from miles away was impressive and highlighted the advanced capabilities we have at our disposal.
"It’s exciting to see how technology is enhancing our operations at sea.”
Peregrine is controlled by a flying the drone remotely from on board Lancaster throughout each mission.
The mini helicopter is a Royal Navy-specific variant of the civilian Schiebel S-100, equipped with UK military tech: radar and an infra-red/electro-optical camera giving it the ability to ‘see’ at night and in poor visibility as it moves over the ocean at speeds up to 125mph
The drone is ideally suited to the long and demanding surveillance missions, preserving HMS Lancaster’s crewed Wildcat helicopter to conduct interdiction or strike missions.
But the team from 700X Naval Air Squadron – the Royal Navy’s dedicated drone unit based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall – have also operated Peregrine concurrently with the Wildcat to unlock the potential of drones and crewed aircraft working together.
Commander Sam Stephens, Lancaster’s Commanding Officer, said the Peregrine operations with his ship marked “a key milestone in the evolution of the Royal Navy’s uncrewed capability”.
He added:
"Integrating this force-multiplier into the longest-serving operational Type 23 frigate whilst deployed on operations is a significant achievement.
"This is just the start, as we continue to unlock the game changing capability with every flight, gaining the advantage over smugglers and adversaries alike".
HMS Lancaster has also been fitted with a new counter-drone system, in light of attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden over the past 18 months.
Lancaster has recently completed a spell of maintenance in Bahrain which has seen upgrades to her weapon systems and sensors, and the complex task of replacing one of the frigate’s diesel generators, cutting a hole in the ship to crane the old engine out and a new one in.