The RAF stated that FPV drones have confirmed their ‘effectiveness in latest conflicts’, reflecting the service’s imaginative and prescient of a future land battle in Europe.
In an train marking the growing tactical significance of First-Particular person View (FPV) drones, the Royal Air Pressure (RAF) introduced on Could 10, 2025 the completion of a trial deployment of 1 such UAV from a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, in a trial referred to as “Hornet’s Nest.” The service stated in a publish on X that the “UK Defence is investing in agile tech to remain forward. First Particular person View (FPV) drones can jam targets, scout terrain, and strike targets – multi function flight.”
The publish didn’t point out when and the place the trial occurred, solely mentioning this occurred just lately. The accompanying quick 19-second video confirmed personnel sporting FPV visors to manage the small quadcopter UAV as one other crew member launched it from the rear ramp. The clip exhibits the FPV operations each from inside and outdoors the Chinook, with one shot additionally exhibiting footage from the drone’s digicam beamed onto an exterior console.
The trouble is much like the one of many French Military’s (Armée de Terre) third Fight Helicopter Regiment (RHC), which performed an experiment in Dec. 2024 integrating FPV assault drones with SA341 Gazelle mild assault helicopters.
UK Defence is investing in agile tech to remain forward. First Particular person View (FPV) drones can jam targets, scout terrain, and strike targets — multi function flight.
A trial deploying FPVs from an RAF Chinook helicopter referred to as Hornets Nest was just lately accomplished. pic.twitter.com/3CyI7kN5PD
— Royal Air Pressure (@RoyalAirForce) Could 9, 2025
Tactical want
The FPV drone’s payload bears the U.Okay. flag, the Union Jack, and is analogous in design to the a number of off-the-shelf business UAVs that have been initially fielded by the Russian and the Ukrainian armies by late-2022, used to strike one another’s land targets. The plane have been merely strapped with explosives and flown into bunkers, trenches, fortified positions and infantry.
Goal-built kamikaze FPV drones, sharing largely the identical design, subsequently appeared with a special set of specialised electronics, visors, consoles, cameras and a few anti-jamming capabilities. It’s not clear if the drone seen in Hornet’s Nest is a business drone strapped with a payload replicating an explosive, or a devoted purpose-built navy drone.
The second choice could possibly be doubtless because the RAF stated it needs to “jam targets, scout terrain, and strike targets,” though it’s unclear if all these capabilities have been examined within the Hornet’s Take a look at trial. The specs of the UAVs are unknown, nevertheless it does seem that drones of two totally different sizes have been used.
The RAF stated in a press release quoted by Janes: “UK defence is embracing FPV drones resulting from their confirmed effectiveness in latest conflicts, the tactical benefits they provide on the battlefield, their alignment with future navy methods, and the power to quickly practice personnel of their use.” FPV drones providing thermal imaging present “a major benefit in night-time operations, lowering the dangers related to crewed missions in low-visibility circumstances,” serving to preserve “a contemporary and adaptable preventing drive.”
The FPV drones also can scout forward of troop insertions for tactical surveillance, and, whereas carrying explosives, also can strike targets they determine through the aerial reconnaissance – if the necessity arises. This will increase the helicopter’s area of view, with the onboard Electro-Optical (EO) turret taking a look at one space, and the drone surveilling one other.
Networking with floor troops and presumably even the RAF’s MQ-9B Protector RG1 drone and AH-64E Apache assault helicopter – itself able to controlling UAVs – will enable flexibility in participating many floor targets.
Challenges
Whereas it introduces a brand new functionality to leverage emergent applied sciences, a Chinook carrying a single FPV drone can be inadequate, and the RAF might be anticipated to conduct a number of such assessments to refine techniques and procedures to function lots of them from inside a single plane. The service would additionally resolve whether or not a single operator or extra can be current contained in the helicopter to function the UAV.
The RAF would even be anticipated to verify the potential for the drone being affected by the rotor wash or colliding with the Chinook’s airframe. We will count on a level of autonomous functionality for a UAV design that the service would lastly procure, to ease its in-flight dealing with, launch and restoration.
General, the potential is helpful when releasing troops and cargo in air defended battle areas the place the FPV drones swarms can overwhelm anti-air batteries and/or jam radars and enemy communications. This displays the RAF’s imaginative and prescient of what a land battle between NATO and Russia in Europe would appear to be.
RAF Chinooks
The RAF’s present operational Chinook fleet consists of Mk 5, Mk 6 and Mk 6A variants, all outfitted with a standard digital glass cockpit. These are based mostly at JHC FS Aldergrove, RAF Odiham, RAF Benson, operated by the 18 Squadron, 27 Squadron, 28 Squadron and seven Squadron.
The Chinook HC Mk 6 was acquired as a UK-specific variant of the CH-47F and in addition launched a Digital Computerized Flight Management System (DAFCS, pronounced ‘daffics’), enormously enhancing dealing with and security, significantly when working in recirculating mud or snow circumstances. The Chinook HC Mk 5 is an upgraded model of the extended-range Mk 3, or ‘fats tank’ plane, which carries double the gasoline load of a typical Chinook.
