A robot boat which can travel 10 miles autonomously has been launched from a Royal Navy warship for the first time.

       HMS Argyll, a Type 23 frigate, successfully managed to control a crewless Pacific 24 rigid inflatable boat (RIB) while sailing at sea in Plymouth.

       The boat’s onboard cameras and sensors gave constant feeds to Argyll, with a temporary operating centre set up in the ship’s hangar.

       In another first, the RIB’s control system was also integrated into the ship’s Ops Room meaning it could be controlled and commanded from the depths of the frigate.

       The Navy said the RIB was operated from up to 10 miles away and that the ship was able to successfully send instructions to the boat, such as conducting basic missions, identifying targets on the water and cueing its camera and remote weapon station to tracked targets when operated by the trials team.

       Lieutenant Commander Rob Manson, trials lead for NavyX, who held the week-long tests in conjunction with BAE Systems, said: “Operating with the Pac24 while at sea showed that in the future these vessels have the potential to deploy with current frigates and destroyers and be used for a range of operational tasks.”

       A Navy source said that enabling a RIB to operate autonomously showed that it could “be useful for situations where risk of life” is a potential.

       They said one scenario in which the RIB might be deployed would be where a fire onboard a ship required suppressive water, but it would be risky to send people close to the fire to contain it.

       “Risking human life reduces significantly and you can drive a boat closer to an object,” the source said.

       “You can put an autonomous RIB in more hazardous situations because the risk to human life is lessened.”

       In another first, a Navy air defence destroyer’s helicopter has fired a new missile aimed at protecting the UK's aircraft carriers from swarm attacks by small boats.

       Portsmouth-based HMS Defender’s Wildcat helicopter fired the Martlet lightweight missile during operations in the Pacific Ocean.

       The warship is currently part of the deployment to the Far East by the UK Carrier Strike Group, headed by the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

       The target in the test firing was an inflatable known in the service as the “big red tomato".

       It is the first time the system has been tested while on operation by the helicopters of the Yeovilton-based 815 Naval Air Squadron.

       A Navy spokesman said: “In 0.3 seconds, the missile detached from the Wildcat HMA Mk2 helicopter, accelerating to one-and-a-half times the speed of sound towards its target.

       “The purpose of the missile system is to add another layer of protection around the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers, with the Wildcats able to carry up to 20 of the laser-sensor missiles that can be used against stationary and moving targets.”

       Captain James Blackmore, Carrier Strike Group’s air wing commander, said: “Martlet is a new air-to-surface lightweight multi-role missile recently introduced into service for the Wildcat helicopter and provides an offensive and defensive capability against small boats and maritime targets.”