Royal Navy races to arm ships against drone threat

The UK Ministry of Defence has issued a rapid RFI for Project TALON to procure a ship-mounted Counter-UAS system able to detect, track, identify, and defeat NATO Class 2 drones using a mix of kinetic and non-kinetic effectors. Requirements emphasize mature, rapidly installable systems with high autonomy to minimize integration time, a defended area of roughly 100–2,500 km², and the ability to engage dozens (ideally up to 100) of targets; the report notes complementary capabilities such as the DragonFire laser and Martlet-armed Wildcats.