The new air system will incorporate artificial intelligence to enable coordination between multiple aircraft operating in close proximity, described as an Autonomous Collaborative Platform. It is planned to complement manned Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning aircraft within the Royal Navy’s Hybrid Air Wing, part of the Maritime Aviation Transformation (MATX) initiative.
Vanquish is classified as a Tier 2 High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) system, comparable to the US MQ-9B SkyGuardian or MQ-20 Avenger. It is designed as a multirole aircraft for both strike and reconnaissance missions and follows successful tests with the General Atomics Mojave Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS) aboard HMS Prince of Wales in November 2023.
The deadline for submitting documents is 14 November 2025. The programme is scheduled to run from 1 April 2026 to 29 December 2027 and has an estimated value of £12 million.
