UK Will Not Use UAVs for Maritime Patrol ... For Now

The United Kingdom will not fill its manned airborne maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability gap with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) any time soon, a government minister stated on 19 December.

Answering a question in the House of Commons, Mark Francois, minister of state for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), said a study had shown that UAVs would not be suitable to perform the role that was vacated by the retired Nimrod MR.2 in the short to medium term at least.

"The initial findings of the Air ISTAR Optimisation Study [AIOS] indicate that, in the short to medium timescale [now to 2025], unmanned air systems [UASs] could provide a capability covering unit and force protection - but not wide-area surveillance - above water. Unmanned wide-area surveillance for anti-submarine warfare would be more challenging before 2035," he said.

The AIOS forms an integral part of the government's efforts to explore fully all options and alternatives for providing maritime surveillance. A key component of this is the provision of an airborne maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and ASW capability following the retirement in 2010 of the Nimrod MR.2 and the cancellation in the same year of its Nimrod MRA.4 successor.

While the MoD has quashed speculation that this could be achieved by a UAV in the near term, it has not ruled it out in the longer term, with Francois saying: "Further work is needed to understand the specific capabilities that could be delivered and how they could be integrated, airworthiness certification, and the affordability of such systems. The next phase of the AIOS will consider the role of UAS in order to inform decisions leading up to and part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review [SDSR] planned in 2015."

The fielding of a new MPA and ASW platform is seen as one of the key capability gaps that will need bridging in the SDSR of 2015. The parliamentary Future Maritime Surveillance report into the issue released in late 2012 described the current situation as exposing the country to unnecessary risk in its capacity to respond to threats.

In addition to the loss of the Nimrod MR.2 and MRA.4, the report noted its concern about the withdrawal of other maritime surveillance assets, such as the Type 22 Broadsword frigates, and the potential for other capability gaps to occur in the future, for example when the Westland Sea King ASaC.7 (Airborne Surveillance and Control Mk 7) helicopter is taken out of service in 2016, to be replaced by Project Crowsnest-equipped Merlin HMA.2 helicopters.

For the manned MPA and ASW role, sources have told IHS Jane's that the Boeing P-8 Poseidon and Airbus Military C295 aircraft are the two platforms being considered. [via]