Project Vixen

Project Vixen is the name of a Royal Navy programme examining the use of fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from its two aircraft carriers.

The project likely draws its name from the de Havilland Sea Vixen, notable for being the Royal Navy's first two-seat carrier-based aircraft capable of supersonic flight.

[1] The project is part of the navy's wider Future Maritime Aviation Force (FMAF) strategy to increase the use of uncrewed systems.

[5] When questioned about the prospect again, in 2016, another Defence Minister, Earl Howe, stated that the Royal Navy viewed them as an "operational advantage", adding that the Queen Elizabeth-class had extensive flight decks, hangars and engineering support facilities to accommodate them.

[7] In January 2021, it was reported that the Royal Navy was seeking a heavy lift UAV for the aircraft carriers to assist with logistics.

[19] Royal Navy briefings have used the MQ-28 Ghost Bat, adapted with a tail hook necessary for carrier-borne recovery, as a representation of Vixen in service.