The Royal Navy has commissioned its 1st Autonomous Squadron, a Portsmouth-based unit that will run uncrewed boats on front-line operations.
Announced by the Royal Navy on 9 November, the commissioning took place on 5 November at HMNB Portsmouth before more than 200 personnel, dignitaries, media, families, and friends. Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Steve Moorhouse said: “The Royal Navy is doing something it has never done before. We are commissioning the first autonomous squadron in our history.”
The squadron has around 180 personnel, split into two watches to sustain round-the-clock operations. It replaces Project Beehive, the Navy’s initial programme to acquire autonomous boats. Guests saw Kraken and Rattler vessels manoeuvred around Portsmouth Harbour from a control hub.
The unit is part of the Navy’s move to a hybrid fleet of crewed and uncrewed platforms, backed by £1.5 billion of investment over four years. A new Capability Accelerator hub has also opened at the base, to get new technology to sailors faster.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said: “The threat environment we are facing is fundamentally different from that of recent decades.”
Commanding Officer Commander Helen Coxon said: “Our job now is to put these vessels to work, whether on their own or as part of a task group alongside our allies.”
The BBC reported that the boats are expected to carry out their first operational deployment in the coming months.
