Belfast: A first UK Royal Air Force (RAF) autonomous collaborative platform (ACP) drone, labelled StormShroud, entered into service, with a “family” of others planned for future delivery, according to a joint statement from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the UK MoD.
The new StormShroud aircraft combines the UK-Portuguese Tekever 3 tactical uncrewed aerial system (UAS) with Leonardo UK’s BriteStorm stand-in jammer, effectively transforming it into an ACP with suppression of enemy air defence (SEAD) capabilities and the ability to work in tandem with RAF fighter jets in contested airspace.
Developed from lessons learned in Ukraine and part of an “initial” £19 million ($25.3 million) procurement, the UK statement said that StormShroud “is a groundbreaking first-of-its-kind drone that will make the RAF’s world-class combat aircraft more survivable and more lethal.”
In a supporting statement the RAF said, “In a world of increasing threat to the UK and our NATO allies, StormShroud will serve as a powerful deterrent to potential aggressors.”
Similarly, Leonardo said in a release that the ACP “provides a new way for UK Armed Forces to deal with increasingly capable air defence systems.”
Aircraft numbers on order were not disclosed by officials, but the fleet will be operated by the RAF’s 216 Squadron, the UK’s single ACP and loyal wingman unit. The UK expects to operate a “suite” of ACPs by 2030, according to its ACP strategy.
The ACP program is similar in style to the US Air Force’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) effort and much like it, the drones are of interest to increase combat mass. What sets apart the ACP from the CCA is an alignment to the trilateral Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) that targets entry to service of a sixth-generation fighter jet and/or ACPs by 2035.
