Overview
- MoD photographs dated 10 October 2026 show HMS Dauntless carrying two previously unseen rectangular box units mounted port and starboard of the ship’s main communication mast.
- Independent analysts and reporters say the boxes appear to be multi‑cell vertical launchers for interceptor drones and measure roughly 2 metres by 1 metre each.
- The Royal Navy declined to discuss the fit when asked, and reporting ties the installation to an urgent Project TALON request issued to industry in March for rapidly fielded shipboard counter‑UAS systems.
- No new sensors have been publicly identified with the launchers, which implies the interceptors will take targeting cues from the Type 45’s existing radar and electro‑optical suite or use their own seeker heads.
- The fit reflects a broader shift driven by recent drone attacks toward lower‑cost, high‑capacity defences to preserve Aster missile stocks and give crews more sustainable options during sustained drone threats.