Five uncrewed boats remotely-piloted from 500 miles (800 kilometres) away swarmed around the Royal Navy River-class offshore patrol vessel HMS Tyne in a demonstration of how the navy could utilise such technology on operations.
The use of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) as escorts for a manned ship was demonstrated during 72 hours of training off the coast of Scotland.
The navy said seven 7.2-metre boats have been trialled over the past few months.
While on board the test vessel XV Patrick Blackett, sitting alongside in HMNB Portsmouth, sailors, Royal Marines and British Army personnel remotely piloted five of the USVs as they sailed in Scotland 500 miles away.
The demonstration saw the vessels work with the patrol boat HMS Biter of the Coastal Forces Squadron, a Merlin helicopter, Tyne and HMS Stirling Castle in a proof of concept exercise.
With cameras, sensors and other data being fed back to Patrick Blackett, the USVs were able to successfully and safely escort Tyne and Stirling Castle, which were playing the role of foreign warships.
The demonstration was a culmination of months of trials for the Disruptive Capabilities and Technology Office and the Fleet Experimentation Squadron.
The Royal Navy said it is the first time it has procured a fleet of customised USVs, with the short turnaround time for delivery showing the service's intent going forward.
Working alongside a consortium of SMEs, military personnel helped design, build, test and develop the vessels to ensure they would be ready to perform under demanding conditions, with operators leading and giving direct feedback on research and development to allow the project to progress quickly.
Based on rigid inflatable boats and with autonomy packages and a variety of other systems and services, the USVs have been built and iterated to meet Royal Navy specifications.
Unlike previous drones operated by the navy, the USVs have been designed to be fully uncrewed.
Each vessel can operate individually or as part of a swarm. They can be pre-programmed with mission profiles, navigational routes and can work together as a "wolf pack" on operations.
In time they will be able to operate without direct human control, according to the navy.