UK MoD Launches Project VANQUISH for Autonomous Carrier-Based Aircraft
The Ministry of Defence has launched a preliminary market engagement for Project VANQUISH, seeking industry views on a new 'Fixed Wing Short Take Off and Landing Autonomous Collaborative Platform' (FW STOL ACP) for Royal Navy carriers. The system is expected to carry a credible payload with sufficient endurance for roles such as ISR, strike, and air-to-air refuelling.
The attritable (Tier 2) platform must be jet turbine powered, capable of high subsonic speed, and operate autonomously from a Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier without catapults or arrested recovery systems. Industry is invited to respond by 14 November 2025 through an online submission form, with clarification questions due by 24 October. This project aims to provide data and evidence to support a prospective procurement of a carrier-capable autonomous strike aircraft in the early 2030s.
The notice, with identifier 2025/S 000-062294, is not a formal procurement. A formal tender is expected to follow in January 2026. The estimated contract value is £10 million excluding VAT (£12 million including VAT), with a potential period from April 2026 to December 2027.
The Ministry of Defence has not publicly disclosed the companies eligible to respond to the Project VANQUISH offer. However, this preliminary market engagement provides an opportunity for industry to shape the future of autonomous aircraft capabilities for the Royal Navy.
