UK wants drones on aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales - General Atomics to get $1.8m for STOL technology demonstration

The Royal Navy is committing nearly $2m to US company General Atomics to demonstrate the capabilities of the short take-off and landing (STOL) drone.

Here's What We Know

The deal will be worth £1.5m ($1.8m). General Atomics, according to the contract, will demonstrate the capabilities of the STOL technology in a seven-month trial. On the basis of the tests, the UK Ministry of Defence will decide on further investment.

The work with General Atomics is part of the UK's efforts to integrate unmanned aerial vehicles into operational military forces. In particular, the UK plans to deploy drones on the aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

According to unconfirmed information, General Atomics will use the Mojave drone to demonstrate STOL technology. It was unveiled in December 2021 and only exists in one instance. The company recently published an interesting video of the drone.

The Mojave is based on the MQ-1C Gray Eagle. It is equipped with a Rolls-Royce M250 engine and will be able to fly for more than 25 hours. The payload includes up to 16 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.