The Malloy T-600 drone takes naval warfare to the next level.
One of the many effects of the seemingly endless war between Russia and Ukraine has been a significant increase in the technology battle between drones/unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on the one hand and air defense systems—more specifically counter-UAS technologies—on the other hand.
This was most recently manifested in Great Britain’s decision to supply the Gravehawk air defense system and the Thales “Martlet” Lightweight Multirole Missile (LMM) to Ukraine, as well as the recent demonstration of the DZYNE Technologies Dronebuster system by U.S. troops participating in the forty-fourth annual Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand.
However, the drone warfare technology race isn’t just playing out in the air-to-ground arena; it’s also becoming more and more of a factor in maritime warfare—including antisubmarine warfare (ASW)—as well.
How Drones Are Changing Antisubmarine Warfare
One of the more intriguing reports about underwater drone warfare technology comes to us from Navy Lookout, whose segment titled “Future of Warfare: T-600 Drone Launches Sting Ray Torpedo“ was shared by MSN in the first week of March 2025. As stated by the text caption accompanying the video:
“The Malloy T-600 drone takes naval warfare to the next level as it successfully deploys a Sting Ray torpedo, showcasing the future of unmanned aerial strike capabilities. This groundbreaking demonstration highlights the potential for autonomous systems to enhance anti-submarine warfare with precision and efficiency.”
From viewing the actual video itself, we learn that the demonstration took place during NATO’s REPMUS (Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems) navy trials in Portugal; this exercise involved sixteen NATO partners, along with non-NATO member Ireland.
Just last week, The National Interest reported on upgrades to the General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian ASW drone. One cannot help but wonder about the potential for the SeaGuardian to work in tandem with the T-600/Sting Ray pairing as a counter to adversary nations’ submarines such as, say, the Russian Borei-class, the Chinese Type 09IIIB nuclear-powered attack submarine, or North Korea’s new nuclear-powered submarine.
T-600 Specifications
The T-600 is jointly designed by BAE Systems and Malloy Aeronautics (headquartered in Maidenhead, Berkshire, England). According to the former:
“The T-600 is an electric-powered demonstrator aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing, can carry a payload of 200kg [440 lb.] and can travel at up to 140km/h [86 mph]. It also has a range of up to 80km [49 miles] depending on payload. It is around the size of a small car and is designed to be easily disassembled for transportation.”
Sting Ray Torpedo Specifications
The Sting Ray acoustic homing lightweight torpedo, which shares its name with (1) a deadly flesh-and-blood fish (suborder Myliobatoidei) along with (2) a World War II U.S. Navy Salmon-class submarine (SS-186) that sank four enemy ships and (3) a highly popular sports car, officially entered operational service in 1982. It was initially manufactured by GEC-Marconi, who was later bought out by (here we go again) BAE Systems. The current iteration, the Mod I, has the following tech specs:
- Length: 2.6 m (8.5 ft)
- Diameter: 330 mm (13 in)
- Weight: 267 kgs (589 lbs.)
- Warhead: 45 kgs (99 lbs.) of Torpex, aka RDX (“Research Department Explosive”) in a shaped charge (note: the Torpex is 50 percent more powerful than TNT by mass)
- Speed: 45 kn (83 km/h; 51 mph)
- Range: 8 to 11 km (8,700 to 12,000 yd)
- Depth: 800 m (2,600 ft)
- Propulsion: Magnesium/silver chloride seawater battery (Pump-jet)
- Guidance: Active/Passive sonar
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
Image: Shutterstock.
