One-way effector drone trialed by UK Armed Forces
NewsJuly 06, 2026
LONDON, United Kingdom. The Royal Navy and British Army tested the Nyan one-way effector (OWE) uncrewed aerial system (UAS) across maritime and land operations, BAE Systems announced in a statement.
The Nyan OWE, designed and built by BAE Systems entity Callen-Lenz, is a small uncrewed aircraft with a 2.9-meter wingspan intended to provide precision strike capability, the statement reads.
The system was launched from the Royal Navy experimentation ship XV Patrick Blackett off the south coast of England during Exercise Neptune Reach, where the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force worked under Project Vantage, a program focused on testing maritime attack drones, the company says.
The British Army also tested Nyan in May during Exercise Spring Storm in Estonia as part of the United Kingdom’s deep-fire capability in support of NATO allies, the statement adds.
The maritime trial included a launcher fitted to the ship’s deck and capable of launching OWE drones at up to 55 meters per second, BAE Systems says. The Royal Navy capability team and the Air and Space Warfare Centre are reviewing the results, with possible additional trials aboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, according to the statement.
