Royal Navy Plans to Launch a Talon Drone Fighter From HMS Prince of Wales in 2027

Britain's aircraft carriers are about to get a drone fighter. The head of the Royal Navy, First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said on November 10 that the service will work toward a demonstration in UK waters in 2027 that includes launching a Northrop Grumman Talon collaborative combat aircraft from one of its Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, reported by Janes as HMS Prince of Wales.

Jenkins made the announcement in a keynote at the International Sea Power Conference in Oslo, held aboard the carrier. He said he would sign a statement of intent with Northrop Grumman two days later. The 2027 date is a target, not a contract commitment, and no cost or quantity was given.

Project Vanquish

The trials are part of Project Vanquish, the demonstration phase of the Navy's effort to field fixed-wing, short-takeoff autonomous collaborative platforms. It sits inside a broader Maritime Aviation Transformation strategy that envisions the Fleet Air Arm becoming a largely uncrewed force by 2040.

The aim is to learn how uncrewed combat aircraft can operate safely alongside the F-35Bs and helicopters already on deck, from launch and recovery to deck handling and air traffic control on a crowded flight deck.

HMS Prince of Wales at sea. File photo: U.S. Navy (public domain).

A carrier without catapults

The Queen Elizabeth-class carriers have no catapults or arresting wires; they launch F-35Bs from a ski jump. That limits which drones can fly from them, which is why Britain is looking at aircraft that can take off in a short distance. Talon is Northrop Grumman's new CCA design, and a carrier trial would be a major test of whether it can work from a ski-jump deck.

If it succeeds, Britain's two carriers, often criticised for flying too few jets, could fill their decks with cheaper drones that extend the reach and firepower of the F-35B. That is the same logic driving the US Navy's plans for its own carrier drones.