UK Ends ‘Project Lily’ Survey Drone Ship Project
The UK has suspended the acquisition of an unmanned surface vessel intended to support international maritime survey missions under “Project Lily.”
A termination notice issued by Defence Equipment and Support confirmed that the initiative will not proceed and that no contract will be awarded.
London did not provide a reason behind the cancellation and has not stated the possibility of the system’s reintroduction under a revised program or integration into other naval modernization efforts, UK Defence Journal reported.
Procurement Details
Project Lily centered on the purchase of a single commercial off-the-shelf drone ship designed for year-round operations in open-ocean environments.
It was expected to undertake military survey tasks, with a focus on hydrographic and oceanographic data collection traditionally performed by crewed survey ships.
The plan also included the delivery of a purpose-built remote operations facility to control the vessel during deployments.
The proposed project carried an estimated value of 27.3 million pounds ($37 million), excluding value-added tax, with work scheduled to run from 2026 through 2030.
Under early planning, the British defense ministry anticipated strong interest from companies specializing in maritime autonomy, marine robotics, and maritime sensing technologies.
