- Pentagon eyes swarms of cheap drones rather than a handful of expensive fighter jets
- Carrier decks could soon be filled with robots performing eight different combat tasks
- The US Navy’s next fighter wing could fly from takeoff to target and back on its own
The US Navy has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking a new family of shipborne drones that would operate alongside manned aircraft while supporting missions across the full range of naval combat operations.
The service wants these systems to be flown from Ford- and Nimitz-class nuclear carriers, while some models could operate from smaller ships.
Its requirements seek industrial proposals for platforms capable of accomplishing eight missions, including attacks on ships and land targets, anti-submarine warfare, air combat, electronic warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Navy seeks autonomous aircraft for eight missions
The aircraft would also support air refueling and resupply missions for naval task forces, creating a broad set of requirements for a single aircraft or family of connected systems.
Strike variants must have a minimum range of 1,000 nautical miles, or approximately 1,150 miles.
The service also wants advanced autonomy for carrier operations, mission changes and threat avoidance during flight.
The proposed systems must support automated aerial refueling and remain compatible with existing unmanned aircraft control systems.
The Navy is seeking “affordable, risk-tolerant mass platforms” capable of confronting current and emerging threats, which portends affordable aircraft designed to be produced in greater numbers than traditional, high-cost fighter jets.
Future aircraft carrier wings could rely on scalable drone fleets
The RFI asks companies to explain how their production methods could expand rapidly in the event of a surge while keeping recurring flight and sustainment costs within sustainable limits.
Manufacturers must also outline ways to reduce maintenance demands and utilize existing naval supply networks.
The Navy is also open to aircraft capable of operating from platforms beyond its largest aircraft carriers: vertical takeoff and landing drones could fly from destroyers, expeditionary sea bases and other ships with appropriate aviation facilities.
“The Navy is interested in new concepts that can operate from any airborne platform,” specifies RFI, in particular destroyers and mobile maritime bases.
This could give naval commanders more options for deploying autonomous aircraft in different maritime environments.
The air wing of the future family of systems is part of the Trump administration’s Golden Fleet expansion plan.
Existing related programs include the MQ-25A Stingray tanker and the Collaborative Combat Aircraft initiative.
The RFI also asks companies to explain the planned capital investments and internal research commitments needed to evolve their designs.
Navy requirements suggest that future airlift could combine advanced manned aircraft with larger fleets of autonomous systems designed for scale and operational risk tolerance.
Via Defense News
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