{"id":32250318,"date":"2026-11-11T10:21:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T09:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/royal-navy-talon-drone-carrier-launch-2027\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T10:22:59","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T09:22:59","slug":"royal-navy-talon-drone-carrier-launch-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/royal-navy-talon-drone-carrier-launch-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Royal Navy Talon Drone: Carrier Launch Planned for 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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In the hangar of HMS Prince of Wales, in Oslo for the International Sea Power Conference, the First Sea Lord shared the stage with a scale model of an American drone wingman. In the audience sat navy chiefs from across northern Europe and, by his count, more than 700 delegates.<\/p>\n<p>On 10 November 2026, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins used that stage to announce that the Royal Navy will work towards a demonstration of Northrop Grumman&rsquo;s Talon uncrewed jet in UK waters in 2027, &ldquo;including a launch from the carrier&rdquo;. He said he would sign a statement of intent with the company aboard the same ship two days later, on 12 November.<\/p>\n<p>The Royal Navy Talon drone plan puts an aircraft and a year to an ambition Jenkins has voiced since 2025: jet-powered collaborative combat aircraft flying from the two Queen Elizabeth-class carriers. It is also, for now, a promise of a trial rather than a purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:26px 0 30px;font-size:15px;line-height:1.7\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:600;color:#0d1117;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Announced:<\/strong> 10 November 2026 by First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, at the International Sea Power Conference aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Oslo<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Northrop Grumman YFQ-48A Talon, a company-funded collaborative combat aircraft demonstrator<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Programme:<\/strong> Royal Navy Project VANQUISH<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Agreement:<\/strong> Statement of intent with Northrop Grumman, due to be signed aboard HMS Prince of Wales on 12 November 2026<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Plan:<\/strong> Work towards a demonstration in UK waters in 2027, including a launch from a carrier<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Recovery:<\/strong> Not stated; whether the drone will also land back on board is unclear<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Talon first flight:<\/strong> 3 October 2026, Mojave, California (fully autonomous, according to Northrop Grumman)<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A promise kept, on paper at least<\/h2>\n\n<p>Jenkins had set himself a public deadline, and he reminded the room of it. &ldquo;Last year, I said I wanted the first of those CCAs to be launched from the carrier flight deck by next year,&rdquo; he said, according to the speech text published by the UK government. &ldquo;When I said that, there was probably a bit of scepticism in the room.&rdquo;<\/p>\n\n<p>The answer he brought to Oslo was specific. &ldquo;In two days&rsquo; time, on this carrier, I will sign a statement of intent with our friends at Northrop Grumman to prepare their TALON demonstrator for trials with the Royal Navy under Project VANQUISH,&rdquo; he said, adding: &ldquo;That demonstrator is here with me on this stage.&rdquo; Navy Lookout, posting from the conference, identified the airframe beside him as a one-third scale mock-up.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2120189181766893814&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:400px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The trials, Jenkins said, &ldquo;will give us the evidence we need to understand how uncrewed combat aircraft can operate safely and effectively alongside the existing air wing.&rdquo; Today that air wing means <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\/\">F-35B Lightning II<\/a> fighters, <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/aw101-merlin\/\">Merlin<\/a> helicopters and Wildcats. The drones are meant to put the &ldquo;Hybrid&rdquo; into what the Royal Navy calls its Hybrid Air Wing.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;Not by waiting years for a perfect solution, but by working with industry to get the latest technology into the hands of our people as quickly as possible.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>General Sir Gwyn Jenkins<\/strong> &mdash; First Sea Lord, speaking aboard HMS Prince of Wales in Oslo, 10 November 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Launch is promised. Landing is the hard part<\/h2>\n\n<p>Read the wording closely. The speech commits to a demonstration &ldquo;including a launch from the carrier&rdquo;. It says nothing about bringing the aircraft back aboard. Specialist outlets, Navy Lookout among them, note that it is unclear whether a recovery to the deck will be attempted in 2027.<\/p>\n\n<p>That matters because the Queen Elizabeth-class ships have neither catapults nor arresting wires. They were built around the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B, which leaves the deck via a ski jump and normally comes back aboard with a vertical landing. France&rsquo;s Charles de Gaulle, by contrast, launches its jets with steam catapults. Project VANQUISH was framed from the start around a jet-powered drone able to fly from the British carriers without either system.<\/p>\n\n<p>Navy Lookout points out that the original VANQUISH request to industry asked for an aircraft that could both launch and recover aboard a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier without that equipment. It also questions whether Talon&rsquo;s undercarriage, borrowed from an existing aircraft type, would need adapting for repeated landings on a moving deck. Northrop will first want land-based flying hours before attempting anything of the sort.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/mojave-drone-hms-prince-of-wales-flight-deck-2023.jpg\" alt=\"General Atomics Mojave drone being towed on the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales in November 2023\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The propeller-driven Mojave on the deck of HMS Prince of Wales in November 2023, when it took off from and landed back on the carrier. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Mojave_UAV_HMS_Prince_of_Wales.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mojave UAV HMS Prince of Wales.jpg<\/a> by Ministry of Defence, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalarchives.gov.uk\/doc\/open-government-licence\/version\/1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OGL v1.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>There is a precedent for the first half of the job. In November 2023, General Atomics&rsquo; propeller-driven <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/general-atomics-mojave-carrier-drone-stol\/\">Mojave<\/a> took off from HMS Prince of Wales off the US east coast and landed back on board. The Royal Navy described it as the largest uncrewed aircraft ever launched from one of its carriers. Talon is a different animal: a jet, designed to keep pace with fighters rather than loiter on surveillance.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LVR_EioIM8c\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">An American jet with a European audience<\/h2>\n\n<p>Talon was designed by Northrop Grumman and its subsidiary Scaled Composites and paid for with company money. The US Air Force designated it YFQ-48A, and it made its <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/yfq-48a-talon-blue-first-flight-northrop-cca-2026\/\">first flight at Mojave on 3 October 2026<\/a>, a sortie Northrop describes as fully autonomous from taxi to landing. It is powered by a single Pratt &amp; Whitney PW500 turbofan, and Northrop says it is about 450 kg lighter, with roughly half the parts, of its earlier collaborative combat aircraft design.<\/p>\n\n<p>That an American demonstrator should headline a Royal Navy speech in a Norwegian port says a good deal about how Europe&rsquo;s navies now work. The same day, Jenkins and his fellow chiefs from the Joint Expeditionary Force signed an agreement under the JEF Northern Navies Initiative, a ten-nation grouping led by Britain. The carrier, the drone and the alliance were all on show in the same hangar.<\/p>\n\n<p>Yet the speech was also a pitch for British industry. Jenkins argued that the Hybrid Navy &ldquo;can create real economic opportunity for Britain&rdquo;. Navy Lookout notes that the statement of intent leaves open both the choice of any operational aircraft and how much work would be done in the UK. A trial, in other words, is not an order.<\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=2120187621414420720&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:400px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What to watch before 2027<\/h2>\n\n<p>The first milestone is the signature itself, due aboard HMS Prince of Wales on 12 November. After that, the questions are practical: how quickly Talon builds up flying hours ashore, whether the Royal Navy names a carrier and a date for the 2027 trial, and whether recovery joins launch on the test card.<\/p>\n\n<p>The evidence will then feed the Royal Navy&rsquo;s wider plan for an air wing of crewed jets, helicopters and drones. Smaller craft are already flying from the decks: last week Afterburner covered <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hms-queen-elizabeth-nyan-strike-drone-tekever-ar5-carrier-trials-2026\/\">HMS Queen Elizabeth launching a Nyan strike drone and landing a Tekever AR5<\/a>. A jet-powered wingman is the far bigger step, and Jenkins has now tied his name to a date.<\/p>\n\n<p><em>Sources: UK Government (speech text of General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, 10 November 2026), Navy Lookout, UK Defence Journal, The Aviationist, Northrop Grumman, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"mf-photo-credits\" data-no-translation style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin:6px 0 18px\">Header photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:FLEET-20240311-XE0146-010.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FLEET-20240311-XE0146-010.jpg<\/a> by Ministry of Defence, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalarchives.gov.uk\/doc\/open-government-licence\/version\/1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OGL v1.0<\/a>, cropped, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>When will the Royal Navy fly the Talon drone from a carrier?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said on 10 November 2026 that the Royal Navy will work towards a demonstration of Northrop Grumman's Talon in UK waters in 2027, including a launch from a carrier. He did not give a month or name the ship that will carry out the trial.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the Royal Navy's Project VANQUISH?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Project VANQUISH is the Royal Navy effort to demonstrate a jet-powered uncrewed aircraft flying from its Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, which have no catapults or arresting wires. Under a statement of intent with Northrop Grumman, the Talon demonstrator is to be prepared for trials under VANQUISH, with a carrier launch planned in 2027.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Will the Talon drone land back on the Royal Navy carrier?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">That is not yet known. The First Sea Lord's speech committed only to a demonstration including a launch from the carrier. Navy Lookout notes it is unclear whether a recovery to the deck will be attempted, since the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers have no arresting gear.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the Northrop Grumman YFQ-48A Talon?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The YFQ-48A Talon is a company-funded collaborative combat aircraft demonstrator built by Northrop Grumman and its subsidiary Scaled Composites. It is an uncrewed jet designed to fly alongside crewed fighters. It first flew on 3 October 2026 at Mojave, California, and is powered by a single Pratt &amp; Whitney PW500 turbofan.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where did the First Sea Lord announce the Talon carrier trial?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">General Sir Gwyn Jenkins announced the plan on 10 November 2026 at the International Sea Power Conference, held aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in Oslo, Norway. A one-third scale mock-up of Talon was on stage with him, and he said the statement of intent would be signed aboard the same carrier on 12 November.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is the Royal Navy buying the Talon drone?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No purchase has been announced. The statement of intent covers preparing the Talon demonstrator for Royal Navy trials. Navy Lookout notes that it leaves open the choice of any operational aircraft and how much work would be done in the UK. No order for the YFQ-48A has been placed.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When will the Royal Navy fly the Talon drone from a carrier?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, said on 10 November 2026 that the Royal Navy will work towards a demonstration of Northrop Grumman's Talon in UK waters in 2027, including a launch from a carrier. He did not give a month or name the ship that will carry out the trial.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the Royal Navy's Project VANQUISH?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Project VANQUISH is the Royal Navy effort to demonstrate a jet-powered uncrewed aircraft flying from its Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, which have no catapults or arresting wires. 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No order for the YFQ-48A has been placed.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/yfq-48a-talon-blue-first-flight-northrop-cca-2026\/\">YFQ-48A Talon Blue First Flight: Northrop&rsquo;s Drone Wingman Flies Itself<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hms-queen-elizabeth-nyan-strike-drone-tekever-ar5-carrier-trials-2026\/\">HMS Queen Elizabeth Launches a Nyan Strike Drone and Lands an AR5<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/general-atomics-mojave-carrier-drone-stol\/\">The Drone That Flies Off Carriers Without a Catapult<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hms-prince-of-wales-operation-firecrest-high-north-f-35b-2026\/\">HMS Prince of Wales Sails for the High North With F-35Bs<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<!--mfcred1-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The First Sea Lord says Northrop Grumman&#8217;s YFQ-48A Talon will be launched from a Royal Navy carrier in UK waters in 2027 under Project VANQUISH. Whether it will also land back on board is still unclear.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":32250239,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32250318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Royal Navy Talon Drone: Carrier Launch Planned for 2027<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Royal Navy Talon drone trial: Northrop Grumman&#039;s YFQ-48A is to launch from a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier in UK waters in 2027 under Project VANQUISH.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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