Royal Navy Launches Its First Ever Autonomous Squadron To Run Uncrewed Boats

Portsmouth is now home to the Royal Navy’s first autonomous squadron, a new unit set up to put uncrewed boats on the front line.

The 1st Autonomous Squadron was commissioned on November 5 at His Majesty’s Naval Base Portsmouth in the presence of over 200 guests that included navy personnel, dignitaries, media and families, according to the Royal Navy.

During the ceremony, the Kraken and Rattler uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) that the unit will run were steered around Portsmouth Harbour from a control hub.

The squadron has about 180 personnel, which is the strength of a Type 23 frigate, and they work in two watches so that operations can go on through day and night.

Project Beehive, the navy’s first programme to buy a fleet of crewless boats and test hybrid navy technologies, now gives way to the new squadron.

The Fleet Commander called it a historic occasion, saying that the Fleet had until now been built around crewed ships, submarines and aircraft. He said that a hybrid navy would give the service more reach, striking power and options, and make the Fleet harder to knock out and quicker to adapt, though people would stay at its heart.

Commander Helen Coxon, who commands the squadron, said that its sailors are developing the skills, tactics and confidence needed to run uncrewed vessels on the front line. The next task is to employ the vessels operationally, either independently or in a task group with allied forces, while adding new uncrewed systems to the Fleet at the fastest pace that is responsible.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said that the money comes from the largest sustained rise in defence spending since the Cold War, with the aim of giving sailors the latest autonomous technology. The navy’s hybrid push is backed by £1.5 billion over four years.

Apart from this, a new Portsmouth hub has been opened for the Capability Accelerator, a team created in 2025 with partial funding from UK Defence Innovation. The Royal Navy cited Kraken and Rattler as proof of what the team can do in getting off-the-shelf technology adapted for military use more quickly.

The launch comes ahead of the Atlantic Future Forum and the International Sea Power Conference in Oslo this week, which would focus on the collective security of Northern Europe.

References: Royal Navy