A major naval exercise to test out advanced aerial and maritime technology will be carried out on the west coast of Scotland as part of wider military training.

Unmanned Warrior 2016 is the Royal Navy's first major exercise using drones and robots.

The event, which also involves defence firms and smaller businesses, invites military and civilian contractors such as QinetiQ to trial their ideas for "autonomous systems" at sea.

It is running in waters around Wales this week, before moving to Scotland's west coast to support the wider Joint Warrior military exercise next week.

Around 150 Nato colleagues from America and Canada to take part in the project, which will test out "robot helicopter" the Watchkeeper.

The bi-annual Joint Warrior project is held across the MoD's Scottish exercise areas, and Clyde naval base Faslane will be used as the headquarters throughout the event.

Land forces, warships, submarines and aircraft will be deployed, with the maritime activities focused around the west and north coast of Scotland.

Lieutenant Commander Clive Langmead, who is overseeing Unmanned Warrior, said: "In Scotland QinetiQ, as part of its long term partnership agreement with MoD have prepared the flying and underwater ranges which it runs in Benbecula, Stornoway, Applecross and the Kyle of Lochalsh, including erecting hangars and laying a dummy minefield for the robots to try and find.

"Several Royal Navy Mine Hunters will also be trying to do the same.

"So this will be a very direct test of new systems against old.

"The Mine Hunters already use remotely piloted submarines in their work, but Unmanned Warrior is hoping to show things can be taken a stage further."