2026/02 Atlantic Bastion Technology Demonstration

Certo Aerospace has successfully demonstrated ASW DETECT, LOCATE & TRACK capabilities to the Royal Navy at Keevil Airfield on 23 February 2026 using the CAPSTONE Vertical Take-Off and Landing Uncrewed Air System (VTOL UAS).

Under the RN’s ATLANTIC BASTION Technology Demonstration programme, Certo has showcased novel ASW solutions which augment existing Royal Navy surface, underwater and airborne capabilities. Certo, in conjunction with industry partner General Dynamics Mission Systems (UK) Ltd. successfully demonstrated that Certo’s CAPSTONE 600kg class VTOL UAS can carry a representative number and mix of sonobuoys for over two hours; the integration and flight demo of GDMS’s UYS-506 acoustic processor with related equipment onto CAPSTONE; and down-linking of processed sonobuoy data to CAPSTONE’s Ground Control Station (GCS) for routing to the UYS-506 GCS for the display of the underwater situation, acoustic data, target location and track. The sonobuoy data was provided by QinetiQ through its sonobuoy data creator (QSDC) which is already used to exercise the Royal Navy’s Merlin ASW acoustics system. Transatlantic command and control of the UYS-506 and transmittal of acoustic data using Starlink SATCOM was also demonstrated.

Justin Tooth, CEO of Certo Aerospace, said “As a former Navy Lynx pilot, I was delighted that Certo was selected by the Royal Navy and even more pleased that we successfully demonstrated Capstone’s new ASW capabilities. This flight test showed that we can provide a vital new component into the Navy’s planned mix of crewed and uncrewed air systems for delivery of the ASW capabilities of the future. Using Capstone for ASW will improve operational effectiveness, whilst reducing both costs and risks to personnel. The selection of Certo for the ATLANTIC BASTION technology demonstration within 4 months of our payload systems flight tests for Project MORRIGHAN indicated real confidence at the MOD in our aircraft. The big advantages of Capstone’s coaxial rotor system and modular payload system are that this aircraft can operate from single-spot naval ships in real-world maritime conditions, while carrying operationally significant payloads out to useful ranges.”

Captain Christopher Hill MBE Royal Navy, BASTION ASW Programme Director, noted, “With a focus on automation this Technology Demonstration Programme has been pivotal in providing the RN with a focused understanding of cutting-edge developments across the Anti-Submarine Warfare landscape, ASW aviation capabilities key amongst them, and as important, their respective readiness to deliver at pace, CERTO AEROSPACE has played a full part in the industry support for this programme, far surpassing our expectations and leaving those of us developing Atlantic Bastion and wider Hybrid Navy capabilities with a wealth of exploitable knowledge”.