Exclusive: British Navy to Pair F-35B Fighter Jets with Drones and Add Deck-Launched Missiles on Aircraft Carrier.

According to information published by the UK Ministry of Defence in its Strategic Defence Review 2025 on June 2, 2025, the British Royal Navy is preparing a radical overhaul of its naval aviation doctrine, aiming to create a leaner, more lethal, and technologically superior fleet. At the core of this transformation is the introduction of “hybrid carrier airwings,” a concept that blends manned F-35B stealth aircraft with autonomous platforms and includes long-range precision missiles capable of being fired from the carrier deck, redefining the very nature of carrier strike capability.
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British Royal Navy tests General Atomics Mojave UAV aboard HMS Prince of Wales in November 2023 off US East Coast.  (Picture source: British MoD)

This hybridization is not merely a technological upgrade but a strategic pivot that responds to rapidly evolving threat environments where peer adversaries, such as China and Russia, are deploying sophisticated anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) systems. Traditional carrier groups, while potent, face increased risks in contested zones. The UK’s response is to augment its F-35B fleet with autonomous collaborative platforms (ACPs) that can absorb risk, execute high-threat missions, and extend the situational awareness bubble far beyond the range of manned aircraft.

These autonomous platforms will likely include a mix of loyal wingman drones, surveillance UAVs, and low-cost attritable drones designed for one-way missions such as electronic warfare jamming, SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses), or direct strikes. By embracing a modular architecture and leveraging swarming algorithms and artificial intelligence, these drones will operate semi-independently, adapting in real-time to battlefield changes and supporting human pilots with kinetic and electronic effects.

What sets the UK’s vision apart is the ambition to arm these carriers not only with air-launched weapons but also with long-range deck-launched precision missiles. This evolution signifies a doctrinal shift where the carrier itself becomes a multi-domain fire support platform, reducing dependence on escort ships for strike missions. This would allow the Royal Navy to conduct pre-emptive or retaliatory strikes from the carrier’s deck directly, shortening kill chains and enhancing operational tempo.

Moreover, the Strategic Defence Review emphasizes a “high-low mix,” combining expensive, top-tier platforms like the F-35B with low-cost drones and digitally integrated systems. This approach is not new but rarely fully realized in naval operations. It reflects a pragmatic understanding that future naval engagements will not be won solely with a few exquisite platforms but through mass, persistence, and operational flexibility. By deploying fleets of low-cost autonomous systems, the Royal Navy can impose dilemmas on adversaries, saturate their defenses, and maintain pressure over extended durations without overtaxing its human resources.

Digitally enabled integration will serve as the backbone of this transformation. The hybrid airwing will require seamless connectivity between platforms, edge computing for autonomous decision-making, and robust cybersecurity protocols to safeguard data exchange. Command and control (C2) architectures will shift from centralized to decentralized, with decision rights delegated to autonomous assets under defined rules of engagement. This demands not only new technologies but also a transformation in training, doctrine, and risk tolerance.

From an industrial perspective, this strategy opens doors for the UK defense sector to innovate in drone development, propulsion systems, data fusion software, and electromagnetic resilience. Partnerships between the Royal Navy, BAE Systems, Leonardo UK, QinetiQ, and start-up drone manufacturers will likely intensify. It also positions the UK to play a leadership role within NATO on the future of naval airpower, particularly as allies look to emulate hybrid strike capabilities for their own maritime forces.

The timeframe for implementation remains aggressive. Though the F-35B fleet is already operational aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales, the integration of autonomous drones and missile launch systems from the flight deck demands significant testing, certification, and budgetary alignment. Still, given the urgency communicated in the 2025 review, early-stage hybrid trials may begin before 2027, with full operational capability targeted for the early 2030s.

From a tactical standpoint, the mix of manned and unmanned systems within a carrier airwing provides significant advantages across the full spectrum of maritime operations. Manned platforms like the F-35B remain essential for complex mission execution, situational judgement, and high-value strike coordination. However, pairing them with drones enhances survivability by allowing unmanned systems to lead in dangerous environments such as anti-ship missile zones, radar-saturated kill zones, or near-peer fighter patrols.

Drones acting as force multipliers enable saturation tactics, overwhelm enemy air defenses, conduct persistent ISR, and relay real-time target data to manned aircraft. Loyal wingmen, flying ahead or alongside crewed fighters, can carry additional sensors, electronic warfare payloads, or weapons, effectively increasing the capability and survivability of every F-35B sortie. In contested environments, unmanned systems can be the first to breach enemy airspace, draw fire, and identify threats, creating windows of opportunity for follow-on manned strikes.

Furthermore, the addition of long-range precision missiles capable of being fired directly from the carrier deck addresses a key tactical gap. While aircraft remain the primary strike vector, their endurance, sortie rate, and payload limitations are persistent operational constraints. Deck-launched missiles, potentially in vertical launch modules or rail-assisted tubes, would allow the carrier to strike high-value land or naval targets independently of its air wing. In a scenario where air operations are denied or constrained by weather or EW interference, the carrier would still retain offensive relevance.

This firepower expansion also strengthens the deterrence factor. In the Indo-Pacific or North Atlantic theaters, where time-to-target can dictate strategic success or failure, the ability to launch cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, or hypersonic glide vehicles directly from the flight deck gives the UK the capacity to preempt threats or strike back immediately, increasing strategic flexibility and resilience.

The UK’s push toward hybrid carrier airwings and deck-launched precision fires represents a defining moment in Royal Navy modernization. It responds intelligently to adversary threats, exploits emerging technologies, and maintains a leading edge in NATO’s maritime deterrence posture. If executed effectively, it could become a template for the future of naval warfare—one where human-machine teaming, digital dominance, and firepower convergence become decisive tools in securing control of the seas.