On Friday, July 3, 2026, British company BAE Systems announced that the Royal Navy and the British Army had carried out the first large-scale trials of Nyan, a One-Way Effector (OWE) unmanned air system intended for both maritime and land operations.
Photos: BAE Systems
The OWE named Nyan, designed and built by BAE Systems-owned Callen-Lenz, is a small unmanned aircraft with a wingspan of 2.9 meters, designed to conduct precision strikes.
Last month, the unmanned aircraft was launched from the experimental vessel XV Patrick Blackett (X01), which has been in service since July 2022, off the southern coast of England as part of Exercise Neptune Reach. During the exercise, the Royal Navy, the British Army, and the Royal Air Force worked together under Project Vantage, a program aimed at accelerating the testing and evaluation of maritime strike drones.
In May, the British Army tested Nyan during Exercise Spring Storm in Estonia, which verified the United Kingdom’s deep-strike potential in support of NATO allies.
Luke Pollard MP, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said:
“Britain is serious about the transition to a Hybrid Navy with new, powerful drones at the heart of the Royal Navy. By bringing together Army and Navy expertise to field strike drones from a ship at sea, we are accelerating the capabilities our forces need to stay ahead of our adversaries.”
Matt Foster, CEO of BAE Systems’ Callen-Lenz said:
“Nyan is already operationally proven on land, with more than 1,000 units produced. Now it has successfully demonstrated its ability to add real value in a maritime environment too. These trials reflect strong collaboration across the services and industry, highlighting the pace at which we can deliver innovation to advance the UK’s integrated, multi-domain defence capability.”
The latest trials included the installation of an OWE drone launcher on board the vessel, capable of achieving launch speeds of up to 55 meters per second, to assess how Nyan can best be controlled from a moving naval platform.
Lieutenant Commander David Burton, Maritime One Way Effectors Capability Sponsor, Royal Navy said:
“This trial makes a significant step forward in delivering Maritime One-Way Effectors at pace. Under Project Vantage we are planning to integrate these capabilities into the Hybrid Navy, combining crewed platforms with uncrewed systems to expand reach, increase tempo and enhance lethality. Working closely with our army colleagues, this activity demonstrates how we are accelerating Atlantic Strike concepts into practical, deployable capabilities of the fleet.”
The Royal Navy’s capability team and the Air and Space Warfare Centre are now analyzing the results, while considering the possibility of conducting further trials on board the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08).
The latest trials involving the Nyan OWE support the development of BAE Systems’ portfolio of unmanned air systems, produced at the FalconWorks advanced research and technology center.
Building on more than 25 years of experience in unmanned and autonomous systems, the company delivers a range of products capable of operating with both current and future combat platforms, providing affordable combat capabilities.
Nyan – The latest addition to our uncrewed air systems capabilities.
A British-built One-Way Effector now proven across land and sea by the @RoyalNavy and @BritishArmy.
Discover more 🔗 https://t.co/Ap79OQ9W3p pic.twitter.com/Vv2wA31zic
— BAE Systems (@BAESystemsplc) July 3, 2026
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