At a time when budget considerations are holding back the US’s big-ticket aviation modernization plan under the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) initiative, the US Navy inched closer to its ambition of teaming crewed aircraft with unmanned aircraft operating from aircraft carriers.

The US Navy successfully operated an uncrewed aircraft for the first time using a drone control system, which is now being installed on its Nimitz and Ford-class supercarriers.

The General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger was flown using the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS). The Nimitz class USS George H.W. Bush became the first flattop to get the Unmanned Air Warfare Center (UAWC), of which UMCS is a part.

It is a big leap for the US’ Collaborating Combat Aircraft (CCA) program or, as it is called in common parlance – “loyal wingman.” Under the CCA, a large UAV is envisaged to fly alongside new and existing manned fighter jets.

The endeavor is to use these drones to fly alone or in small groups for varied missions, including air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat, electronic warfare, targeting, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

The CCAs’ AI-driven software would enable collaboration with and take direction from human pilots. It would expand the fighter fleet and protect human pilots at a lower cost than current fighter jets.

It is a huge success for programs under the US NGAD, which is presently under a comprehensive review to reassess the requirements of the 6th-generation manned fighter in the face of rising costs and rapid technological evolution. The review will conclude by the end of 2024 and will decide whether the US Air Force requires a 6th-generation fighter jet to replace the F-22 ‘Raptor.’

The cost of the 6th-generation fighter jet has questioned its relevance, but the other parts of the NGAD—including CCA—have continued unabated.

The successful maiden mission of Avenger indicates that in the future, the UMCS will control more drones besides the MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone, which is set to be the Navy’s first operational advanced uncrewed carrier-based aircraft. Stingray, armed with AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Surface Missiles (LRASM), has the primary aerial refueling role.

“Navy Air Vehicle Pilots (AVPs) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland controlled the MQ-20 [Avenger] during its flight from GA-ASI’s test site in California,” according to a press release from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). “The UMCS connected Beyond Line of Site (BLOS) to the MQ-20 via a proliferated low Earth orbit (pLEO) satellite constellation and transmitted flight control commands and received mission systems data.”

“This flight was the first time a GA-ASI UAS completed bi-directional communications using the UMCS operation codes while performing autonomous behavior,” General Atomics said in a separate release. During the test flight, MQ-20 also used its Tactical Autonomy Core Ecosystem (TacACE) software to fly in a semi-autonomous mode during the test.

Avengers have been the test bed for different AI-driven systems over the years.

The UMCS will enable control of all unmanned carrier aircraft, starting with the MQ-25 aircraft. It will also efficiently introduce future unmanned systems into the complex carrier command and control architecture.

The Stingrays are expected to be operational by 2026. They will fly in tandem with E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning and control aircraft squadrons within carrier air wings. In the future, MQ-25 will increase the range of carrier-based aircraft and eliminate the need for F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to fly in the tanker role.

Presently, the US Navy intends to buy 76 of these drone tankers. They will also have the secondary roles of intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance (ISR). Later, they can be equipped with weapons to conduct stand-off strikes. In the future, the US Navy has stated a goal of having at least 60 percent of its fleet comprised of uncrewed systems.

The US Navy’s work on loyal wingmen is closely linked to the same program for the USAF. The control architectures of the two services are likely to be interoperable.

Uncrewed Platforms Key To Dominance

Avengers and Stingrays are heralding a new future where the uncrewed aircraft will fly alongside manned fighter jets to reduce the reliance on an expensive 6th-generation crewed fighter jet.

The US ‘strategic pause’ on its NGAD program was to reassess the fundamental requirements for a 6th-generation fighter jet. Initially, the USAF was keen to have a high-end fighter jet to achieve air superiority, but the newer approach is considering loyal wingmen and bombers in a highly networked battlefield for this role.

After the F-35 development was touted as one of the world’s most expensive weapons programs, the NGAD fighter’s cost is estimated to reach several hundred million dollars per aircraft. Hence, the emphasis has shifted from a single, all-encompassing fighter jet to a collaboration of manned and unmanned systems to reduce the unit cost below that of the F-35.

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