US Navy Planning To Fill Its Carriers With Drones

An MQ-25 aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush in December 2021. US Navy/MCS3 Hillary Becke  

Insider: 80 years after launching the first drone from an aircraft carrier, the US Navy is planning to fill its flattops with them 

* The US Navy is investing heavily in unmanned aircraft to operate aboard its aircraft carriers. 

* Navy officials now say that they hope to have drone aircraft compose 60% of their carrier air wings. 

* Eighty years ago, the Navy made its first crack at trying to operate drones aboard its carriers. 

The US Navy is working hard to incorporate unmanned aircraft into its aviation fleet. Service officials now say they aim for drones to compose 60% of their carrier air wings, a sizable increase from the 40% goal cited in the past. 

Leading the way on that effort is Boeing's MQ-25 Stingray, and unmanned aerial refueling drone that Navy officials say could eventually take on new roles, such as intelligence-gathering. 

The MQ-25 is expected to achieve initial operational capability by September 2025 and deploy aboard a carrier in 2026. 

It will be the first purpose-built carrier-based drone in service with any navy, but it won't be the first drone that the US Navy has operated from a flattop.  

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WNU Editor: The above article puts to bed any doubts that the US Navy is now committed to drones.