Naval observers were befuddled when, after years of exciting experimentation ending in 2015, the U.S. Navy seemed to give up on acquiring a high-performance, combat-capable drone for its carrier air wings.
Now, years later, the U.S. Navy finally is coming back around to the idea of a carrier-compatible combat drone. The sailing branch’s new aviation strategy confirms that the MQ-25 robotic tanker, the only unclassified air vehicle to come out of the earlier experiments, will pull double duty as a surveillance system.
The MQ-25 could help the fleet to work out procedures for future drones. If and when the fleet’s next-generation stealth fighter reaches carrier decks around 2035, it could operate with a bunch of sophisticated robotic wingmen.
The Navy experimented with carrier-launched drones as far back as the Vietnam War. The service bought a few Model 147 reconnaissance drones from Ryan Aeronautical and, in late 1969, launched the subsonic vehicles 28 times from the deck of the carrier USS Ranger sailing off the coast of North Vietnam.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/11/02/the-us-navy-is-finally-getting-carrier-drones-it-only-took-60-years/?sh=ce1c3fc3dfd7
Now, years later, the U.S. Navy finally is coming back around to the idea of a carrier-compatible combat drone. The sailing branch’s new aviation strategy confirms that the MQ-25 robotic tanker, the only unclassified air vehicle to come out of the earlier experiments, will pull double duty as a surveillance system.
The MQ-25 could help the fleet to work out procedures for future drones. If and when the fleet’s next-generation stealth fighter reaches carrier decks around 2035, it could operate with a bunch of sophisticated robotic wingmen.
The Navy experimented with carrier-launched drones as far back as the Vietnam War. The service bought a few Model 147 reconnaissance drones from Ryan Aeronautical and, in late 1969, launched the subsonic vehicles 28 times from the deck of the carrier USS Ranger sailing off the coast of North Vietnam.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2021/11/02/the-us-navy-is-finally-getting-carrier-drones-it-only-took-60-years/?sh=ce1c3fc3dfd7
