U.S. Navy Seeks 1,000 Nautical Mile Range for Future Carrier-Based Drones
- Published
- Source
- TheWarZone
The U.S. Navy is planning to develop carrier-based uncrewed aircraft capable of striking enemy targets at least 1,000 nautical miles away without mid-air refueling. This initiative is part of a broader request for information (RFI) issued by Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) regarding the Air Wing of the Future (AWOTF) family of systems.
This capability is crucial as adversary anti-access/area denial strategies evolve, necessitating that carrier air wings operate from greater distances. The Navy's focus on uncrewed systems aims to enhance combat effectiveness over existing platforms while ensuring compatibility with Nimitz and Ford class carriers.
Future developments will likely include vertical takeoff and landing drones for use on destroyers, as well as integration with existing U.S. Navy Unmanned Carrier Aviation control systems. No further timeline was disclosed at the time of publication.
Original report
Navy Wants 1,000 Mile Combat Radius For Carrier Based Tactical Drone Fleets
TheWarZone · Joseph TrevithickThis briefing is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting and is provided for industry information and news discovery. The original report and source publication are credited and linked where applicable. RobotToday does not claim ownership of third-party source material.
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