Pictured are the aircrew and engineers of Hermes Flight, of the Royal Navy’s The Flying Tigers, embarked in type-23 frigate HMS St Albans.
As well as operating its Merlin Mk2 submarine-hunting helicopter, the flight from 814 Naval Air Squadron has deployed Puma drones.
Easily launched from the ship, Puma enhances surveillance, reconnaissance and force protection capabilities while reducing the risk to personnel.
It’s part of the move towards a hybrid navy, where crewed and uncrewed systems are integrated and used routinely on operations.
The team have been embarked with HMS St Albans since December, on patrol in the north Atlantic to protect critical undersea national infrastructure.
