Overview
- An 815 Naval Air Squadron Wildcat at Predannack airfield acted as an airborne command node, sending and receiving live data from multiple uncrewed systems via a multi‑node MESH network.
- The decentralised network was described as resilient and self‑healing, reflecting lessons from Ukraine to keep data flowing if individual nodes are disrupted.
- Sensor fusion from Puma and UAV Aerosystems’ Providence UAVs, plus ground sensors, enabled over‑the‑horizon target tracking and a sensors‑to‑shooter workflow.
- Aircrew simulated engagements with the Wildcat’s Martlet missiles, demonstrating how targeting data can be rapidly turned into fire control without relying on the helicopter’s own sensors alone.
- Specialist teams from 700X and 847 Naval Air Squadrons worked with industry partners including MarWorks, TeleplanForsberg, General Dynamics, C3IA, UAV Aerosystems and Collins Aerospace, with larger trials planned during exercises in Norway alongside the Royal Norwegian Navy.