DSEI UK 2025: Royal Navy clears Peregrine UAS for service

Two new drone systems are now ready for front-line operations, providing aerial support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, according to a September 11 press release. Following two years of development and trials, a fleet of Malloy T-150 Uncrewed Air Systems and the Peregrine UAS have been formally introduced into service.

The Malloy T-150 Uncrewed Air System will be used by Royal Marine Commandos to transport supplies, including ammunition, weaponry, food, and medical supplies, in various operational environments. The system was tested by drone operators from 700X Naval Air Squadron and Commando Logistic Regiment in a series of exercises over eight months, spanning locations from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean. This work has resulted in the systems being declared ready for operational use. The Malloy UAS has been used to deliver supplies over complex terrain where traditional methods of resupply are not viable. The T-150 has eight rotor blades, a flight endurance of up to 40 minutes, a top speed of 60 mph, and can lift up to 68 kg. It is operated by a team of two and can be flown manually or autonomously to pre-determined waypoints with its cargo.

The Peregrine UAS is a mini helicopter and provides the Royal Navy’s warships with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Developed by Thales in partnership with Schiebel, Peregrine is a shipborne uncrewed aerial solution designed to extend the naval fleet’s surveillance capabilities. The Peregrine capability is part of the Royal Navy’s Maritime Aviation Transformation Strategy, an initiative to introduce a new generation of both crewed and uncrewed systems.

The system is equipped with the Thales I-Master radar, which enables it to conduct all-weather, day-and-night surveillance, tracking, and target identification. This capability is intended to assist commanders in maritime and littoral environments. 

“We’ve been working with Schiebel for around ten years, especially during the annual REPMUS exercises,” Andrew Coburn, from the Thales ISR team told Calibre Defence on September 11. “But this is the first time we’ve delivered a product under our MoU,” he explained. 

The Peregrine system has been deployed with HMS Lancaster during live operations. It supported maritime security missions and enhanced surveillance coverage, demonstrating its operational performance in a naval environment. “The Navy is looking for endurance, it’s about taking the pressure off of the Wildcat [the standard helicopter flown from Royal Navy frigates] and extending the sensor horizon. The earlier warning the better,” Andrew explained.  “Peregrine can be airborne for eight hours, with two UAS providing 16 hours a day. They have already been used for interdictions, supporting the Royal Marines in drug intercepts,” he added.  

Royal Marines carried out experimental exercises with a range of drones to further develop tactics and techniques with autonomous systems. The drones were connected to one single control room and worked alongside commandos on a range of training scenarios to test their ability to support their missions. Credit: L(Phot) Barry Wheeler/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2024.

Integrating a new capability onto a Royal Navy ship is a complicated process. The combat management system is highly classified, which limits the ability of new systems to share data with it. To account for this, Thales has integrated the Peregrine into a containerised control station that enables the Peregrine UAS to share data with the ops room onboard the frigate, and the control station can send tasks to the UAS in a secure fashion.

The reconnaissance from the Peregrine can also be sent directly to the UKMCC – the UK Maritime Component Command, a Royal Navy command located at HMS Jufair, also known as the United Kingdom Naval Support Facility (UKNSF), in Bahrain. The UKMCC is the centre for operations spanning from the Suez Canal to the Arabian Gulf, focused on countering piracy, terrorism, and ensuring the safe flow of commerce. “They have to contact the UKMCC to get permission for an interdiction,” Andrew recounted, adding that providing Peregrine’s data in this way – direct to the decision maker – can speed up the process of interdictions in the Gulf. 

Looking ahead, Andrew was confident that Peregrine could play a role in the anti-submarine warfare capability that the UK is working to build. “We have tested sonobuoy dispensers from the drone as well as the ability to pull data back from that and pass it to a larger vessel. Moreover, the work we have done in REPMUS and integration over the past few years means a lot of the work is done and we can deliver that capability quickly,” Andrew concluded by saying. 

Calibre comment

The UK is working to develop its ASW capabilities and generally increase the number of uncrewed and autonomous platforms used by the Royal Navy. The REPMUS exercises held each year in Portugal have demonstrated the ability of uncrewed systems to integrate into a naval order of battle and support a variety of operational concepts. Peregrine can be integrated into a container, which would allow it to be added with some ease to the Type 26 and Type 31 frigates when they enter service and significantly expand the reconnaissance horizon. This is important because Russia, and many other actors like the Houthis, are able to hold naval vessels at risk from very long ranges. In some cases well beyond the detection range of sensors carried by the Royal Navy’s surface vessels. If it is possible to meaningfully extend that reconnaissance horizon and make it more persistent, then systems like Peregrine could improve situational awareness. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published September 11, 2025. Credit for the lead image is Lt Cdr Fraser Simon/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2024 and shows the Peregrine on the deck of HMS Lancaster.