The Royal Navy made two significant announcements in November 2025: a £90m contract for a North Atlantic drone surveillance network, and a commitment to trial a carrier-launched autonomous jet as part of a widening alliance among JEF northern navies.
Atlantic Net: A £90m Submarine-Hunting Sensor Network
Ocean Infinity Solutions has been chosen to construct Atlantic Net, a £90m system that combines sensors and uncrewed platforms to provide anti-submarine surveillance across the North Atlantic, UK Defence Journal reports. The network, as UK Defence Journal explains, is intended to extend the detection window available to submarine-hunting surface vessels and Astute-class submarines when facing underwater threats. At a moment when North Atlantic security has climbed back to the top of the alliance agenda, the contract represents a significant commitment to persistent maritime surveillance.
Project VANQUISH and the YFQ-48A Talon Blue
First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins also addressed the International Sea Power Conference, held aboard HMS Prince of Wales, alongside the Atlantic Net announcement. As Navy Lookout reported, carried by The Aviationist, Jenkins set out plans for a Statement of Intent with Northrop Grumman on 12 November, intended to prepare the YFQ-48A Talon Blue for trials under Project VANQUISH.
Navy Lookout reported that Project VANQUISH was launched by the Royal Navy in 2025 to develop a fixed-wing, jet-powered autonomous platform capable of operating from its carriers. The ambition, Navy Lookout reported, is to launch the YFQ-48A Talon Blue from an aircraft carrier in UK waters in 2027. Readers interested in the broader development of autonomous platforms can explore related programmes through our Manufacturer Search.
Jenkins made clear he has little patience for caution that might slow the programme. "And what is often leveled at me: you're going too fast. The hybrid navy is ambitious. The technology is not ready. You need to slow down. I reject all of that," he said.
The Royal Navy and the JEF Northern Navies Initiative
The conference also marked a step forward for the Joint Expeditionary Force. General Sir Gwyn Jenkins told delegates: "After nine months of hard work, I'm delighted that the JEF Northern Navies Initiative has today taken a huge step forward," according to UK Defence Journal.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard reinforced the alliance argument at the same event. "And if we're going to fight together, we should be designing and delivering side by side too. Shared challenges need shared solutions," he said.
The pairing of a multilateral cooperation agreement with a domestic procurement award on the same day points to a deliberate effort to anchor the Royal Navy's autonomous ambitions within a broader allied framework, rather than pursue them unilaterally.
The Bottom Line
The Atlantic Net contract and the VANQUISH statement of intent together sketch out the Royal Navy's near-term vision: persistent sensor coverage of the North Atlantic combined with a carrier-capable autonomous strike or surveillance jet by the late 2020s. For a service that has invested heavily in its two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, adding an uncrewed fixed-wing dimension by 2027 would mark a genuine shift in what those ships can do. We covered the pipeline pressures facing fast-jet programmes more broadly in our piece on the RAF Hawk T2 grounding and its effect on fast-jet training, and the Royal Navy's autonomous ambitions sit squarely in the same context of doing more with constrained resources.
This article draws on reporting by UK Defence Journal and The Aviationist.
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