US Navy aircraft carrier receives first drone control center
The world’s first Unmanned Aerial Warfare Center (UAWC) was installed by the U.S. Navy aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush (CVN 77).
The new facility will enable pilots to control future Boeing MQ-25 Stingray flight operations directly from the carrier.
The MQ-25 is the US Navy’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft. The refueling drone will replace the F/A-18 Super Hornets currently designated for this role. 20 to 30% of their flight time will be used for refueling missions. The MQ-25 allows the US Navy to extend the service life of the Super Hornets.
The UAWC installation is the first fully functional and integrated MD-5E Ground Control Station (GCS), which is essential for the guidance and control of the MQ-25 aircraft.
“CVN 77’s UAWC lays the foundation for how the U.S. Navy will operate and control unmanned aircraft and potentially other unmanned vehicles using UMCS,” said Captain Daniel Fucito, program manager for Unmanned Carrier Aviation (PMA-268). “These systems will initially support the MQ-25, but also future unmanned systems such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft, which make up the Air Wing of the Future.”
The US Navy developed the GCS with help from Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. This installation will serve as a standard for similar systems to be installed on other carriers starting in 2025.
