ACUA Ocean and Teledyne FLIR Defense have successfully completed two days of demonstrations to the UK MOD and offshore industry partners, having been awarded funding by UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) to conduct a joint demonstration of an integrated tethered uncrewed aerial system (T-UAS) and uncrewed surface vessel (USV) capability.
The programme saw Teledyne FLIR’s SkyCarrier™ UAS platform autonomously launch a SkyRanger® R70 drone, operated remotely from ACUA Ocean’s USV Pioneer — the UK’s first Lloyd’s Register-certified remotely operated uncrewed vessel to deliver a persistent, long-endurance maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform for Royal Navy and wider UK defence customers.
The UKDI-funded demonstrator validated the technical integration of the T-UAS with the Pioneer modular payload architecture and proved the combined system’s operational performance in open-ocean sea states, ahead of further development and potential commercial deployment as scale.USV Pioneer has already completed multiple Royal Navy ISR and ASW demonstration contracts. In January 2026, the USV Pioneer demonstrated its superior seakeeping in 4.25-meter wave heights. This performance, characterized by a 60% reduction in roll and a 4x reduction in peak roll rates compared to monohulls, provides the ultra-stable platform essential for the safe, persistent operation of the tethered SkyRanger R70
In tethered configuration, the SkyRanger R70 was launched from its SkyCarrier container and operated from the Pioneer via a managed power and data tether, removing reliance on onboard battery endurance and enabling persistent, continuous aerial surveillance directly slaved to the USV’s position.
SkyCarrier enables fully autonomous, on-the-move drone deployment from land vehicles, maritime vessels, or fixed sites. SkyCarrier’s ruggedized container fully protects the drone when closed and opens to unfold an articulating launch and landing pad, allowing drones to autonomously take off and return, even while in motion or on uneven terrain. The SkyRanger R70’s multiple embedded NVIDIA processors provide real-time artificial intelligence capability at the edge, including object detection and classification, while four dedicated computer vision cameras enable autonomous operations. A long-range, high-resolution stabilised EO/IR payload suite delivers Group 2 ISR performance in a Group 1 UAS platform.
The integrated T-UAS/USV system addresses a critical operational gap identified by the Royal Navy and UK defence: the need for persistent, long-endurance multi-domain maritime awareness without exposing personnel to risk in ‘dull, dirty or dangerous’ environments. Operating together, USV Pioneer and SkyRanger R70 extend the ISR horizon of the surface vessel from the waterline to altitude, providing a coordinated air-surface surveillance package capable of multi-week ocean endurance.
The combination is particularly relevant to a range of Royal Navy priority missions, including anti-submarine warfare support, mine countermeasures, intelligence gathering, and the protection of critical maritime infrastructure.
Neil Tinmouth, CEO, ACUA Ocean, said:
“Securing UKDI funding for this demonstrator is a significant milestone for ACUA Ocean and for UK maritime autonomy more broadly. Integrating the SkyRanger R70 with the Pioneer creates something genuinely new: a persistent, deployable multi-domain ISR capability that the Royal Navy can put to sea today. Teledyne FLIR Defense bring a battle-proven, operator-trusted UAS to a platform that is built, certified and ready. We look forward to demonstrating what this system can do.”
Richard Cunha, Principal Product Director Unmanned Aerial Systems, Teledyne FLIR Defense, said:
“The SkyRanger R70 has earned its reputation in the most demanding operating environments in the world. Pairing it with the Pioneer Mk2’s exceptional sea-keeping capability and endurance opens up a new class of persistent maritime ISR mission that simply wasn’t possible before.”
