The Royal Navy has commissioned its first autonomous squadron, with the 1st Autonomous Squadron formally commissioned in a ceremony at His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth on 5 November, the service said in an announcement dated 9 November.

The ceremony was held in front of more than 200 navy personnel, dignitaries, media, families and friends, and included a demonstration of the uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) the squadron will operate. The Kraken and Rattler vessels were manoeuvred around Portsmouth Harbour from a control hub.

The squadron will operate uncrewed boats on front-line operations. It replaces Project Beehive, the navy’s initial programme to procure a fleet of autonomous and crewless boats as a proving ground for its hybrid navy technologies.

Around 180 personnel, split into two watches

The Portsmouth-based squadron comprises around 180 personnel, the same as a Type 23 frigate, split into two watches to sustain operations around the clock.

Royal Navy Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Steve Moorhouse, speaking at the launch of the autonomous squadron, said: “The Royal Navy is doing something it has never done before. We are commissioning the first autonomous squadron in our history.”

He said: “For generations, the Fleet has been built around ships, submarines, and aircraft, manned by sailors and Royal Marines. From today, an autonomous squadron takes its place alongside them.”

Moorhouse said the seas are becoming “more contested, more dangerous and harder to operate in”, and that a hybrid navy “is about giving our people better tools”, meaning more reach, more striking power and more options.

He added: “It will help make the Fleet more lethal, harder to knock out of the fight and quicker to adapt. People will remain at the heart of it, as exemplified by all of you here today.”

Commanding Officer of the 1st Autonomous Squadron, Commander Helen Coxon, said: “Today marks the start of something new for the Royal Navy, and I am proud to lead the people who will make it work. The sailors of the 1st Autonomous Squadron are building the skills, the tactics and the confidence to operate uncrewed vessels on the front line.”

Off-the-shelf technology adapted for military use

The Royal Navy describes the Kraken and Rattler boats as an example of its team getting off-the-shelf technology built and adapted for military use on operations in a shorter time frame.

That team is the navy’s Capability Accelerator, set up in 2025 and partially funded by UK Defence Innovation, which the navy says is part of its push to deliver autonomous and uncrewed equipment to the frontline at pace. Its new hub at HMNB Portsmouth has been formally opened, which the navy said means it can deliver more programmes to support the move towards a hybrid navy.

Capability Accelerator Team Leader Commander James Wagstaffe said: “The way we develop and deliver capability must evolve if we are to stay ahead of an increasingly complex and fast-changing threat environment.”

He said the accelerator “has been established to help the National Armaments Group get new technologies into the hands of our sailors faster, reducing the time between identifying an operational need and delivering a capability that makes a real difference”.

The wider hybrid navy, in which traditional warships and units integrate with uncrewed and autonomous technology, is backed by £1.5bn of investment over four years.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting MP said: “The threat environment we are facing is fundamentally different from that of recent decades. A major determinant of military power now is who can innovate fastest.”

Streeting added: “That’s why we are using the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War to put the latest autonomous technology in the hands of our sailors, to help them protect our shores and those of our NATO Allies.”

He said: “The more ready we are to fight and win, the less likely we are to have to. This investment strengthens our warfighting readiness and therefore our deterrence.”

What the squadron does next

The 1st Autonomous Squadron will conduct a range of operations alongside other organisations and nations, both as single vessels and as part of a task group. Bringing new USVs into the fleet is a key aspect of its focus, with growth and development part of the work.

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, and to bring new uncrewed systems into the Fleet as quickly as we responsibly can.”

The squadron will work closely with Navy Develop, the navy’s Disruptive Capabilities and Technologies Office and the Capability Accelerator team on its expansion.

The launch of the squadron came ahead of an allied gathering of military and political leaders in Oslo, Norway, focused on the collective security of Northern Europe. The Atlantic Future Forum and the International Sea Power Conference will feature discussions on the future of Euro-Atlantic security, including the rapid development of technology.