Overview
- The Royal Navy launched a Callen-Lenz Nyan one-way effector from the experimental ship XV Patrick Blackett while underway in early June, the service has confirmed as part of Project VANTAGE testing.
- The drone was shot from a deck‑mounted Threod Cata pneumatic launcher with a bridge-set flight profile, flew to its designated area and ditched as intended, proving launch under ship motion.
- Personnel from the Royal Navy, British Army (26 Regiment Royal Artillery) and 744 Naval Air Squadron worked together in the tri-service trial to test ship-based launch procedures and mission control.
- The Ministry of Defence signed a reported £5.9 million supply contract with Callen-Lenz in February 2026 and the manufacturer says more than 1,000 Nyans have been produced and used on land, including in Estonia in May.
- Royal Navy capability teams and the Air and Space Warfare Centre are analysing the results for follow-up trials, including possible work aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, while emphasising the system remains at an experimental proof-of-concept stage and reflects lessons from the war in Ukraine.