UK conducts ‘largest AI’ trial across land, space and air

May 27, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

The UK defense forces have conducted the ‘largest ever’ multi-domain artificial intelligence (AI) trial, bringing together land, sea, and air equipment.

UK CARRIER STRIKE GROUP ASSEMBLES; Illustration, Credit: Royal Navy Viewed from the front - HMS Prince of Wales; Row 2 (L-R) – HMS Portland, RFA Tidesurge, HMCS Charlottetown; Row 3 (L-R) – SNS Cristόbal Colόn, RFA Tidespring, HMDS Niels Juel. Aerial imagery of the UKCSG Task Group taken from a Merlin Mk2 of 814 Naval Air Squadron. UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG) units assembled for the start of Exercise Joint Warrior, a UK led exercise forming part of NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender (STDE24). The task group is led by the UKCSG embarked on HMS Prince of Wales, which is operating F-35B jets alongside Merlin and Wildcat helicopters. The carrier is escorted by: HMS Portland, a Royal Navy Type 23 frigate; HMCS Charlottetown, a Royal Canadian Navy Halifax-class frigate; SNS Cristόbal Colόn, a Spanish Navy Álvaro de Bazán-class air defence frigate; HMDS Niels Juel, a Danish Iver Huitfeldt-class frigate. Logistical support is supplied by RFA Tidesurge and RFA Tidespring, allowing the Carrier Strike Group to remain at sea for extended periods of time. Exercise Steadfast Defender will be the largest NATO Exercise in decades. NATO will demonstrate the employment of forces across multiple regions and in multiple domains (maritime, land, air, space and cyber). The vast scale of this exercise will occur over several months and over thousands of kilometres, and will involve tens-of-thousands of Allied troops from almost every NATO Ally. In addition, a variety of national training manoeuvres will be integrated into the overall exercise concept. CSG participation in STDE24 is a demonstration of the UK's capabilities and ability to deploy and operate in the harshest of environments and our commitment to NATO's objectives to defend allied territory and deter adversaries.

Building on previous trials – known as WINTERMUTE – this third iteration involved around 200 scientists from the Defence Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl), military personnel from the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force (RAF).

The program included crucial participation from the United States and Australia, reinforcing the UK’s commitment to international defense partnerships to drive long-term national growth and support the government’s Plan for Change. The trial offered valuable data to develop and validate AI algorithms.

Specifically, for the Royal Navy, AI technologies developed through these trials are expected to enhance maritime surveillance, improve threat detection in complex sea environments, while enabling faster decision-making during naval operations.

Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force is to benefit from advanced target recognition systems that can process information from multiple airborne sensors simultaneously, reducing pilot cognitive load and enabling more effective air operations in challenging conditions.

Over a five-day period, visual infrared and band radar data was recorded from Royal Navy vessels, ground vehicles, and both manned and unmanned aircraft, operating in mission-based scenarios.

“We can all see how AI has the potential to impact our lives and enhance our war fighting ability, and UK defence is embracing this leap forward in technology to better support our personnel on the frontline,” Minister for Defense Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle, said.

“Significant trials like this, working with international and industry partners, demonstrate the rapid progress we’re making to utilise new technology for keeping Britain secure at home and strong abroad.”

“This innovative trial represents a significant advancement in how we develop and test defence technologies. By bringing together multiple domains and partners, we’re not just collecting data – we’re creating the foundation for mission success and operational advantage that will protect our forces for decades to come,” Paul Hollinshead, Dstl’s Chief Executive, added.

“The use of these AI systems is designed to support, not replace, human decision-making in defence operations. The technology aims to reduce cognitive burden on military personnel by filtering information and providing clearer battlefield intelligence.”