Naval Unmanned Aviation

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Adding Firepower to Naval Unmanned Aviation
-- Information Dissemination

A good article from Inside the Navy from Monday called ‘We Know It’s Coming’, Admiral: Navy Requirement For Arming Drones Likely In The Future. Zachary M. Peterson with Marcus Weisgerber offer a look into the future of naval unmanned aviation warfare.

Right now, the Navy has no official plans to arm Fire Scout or any other unmanned aerial systems in the fleet.

“Armament requirements are evaluated on a platform-by-platform basis,” Navy spokesman Lt. Clay Doss told Inside the Navy. “There are currently no specific studies looking at that issue, but the Navy continuously evaluates the roles and missions of platforms, including UASs.”

Though no existing UAS programs have a requirement to carry weapons, the Navy’s Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS), which is currently a demonstration effort, could in the future have a weapons requirement. The carrier-based demonstration effort aims to mature critical technologies and reduce risk for aircraft carrier integration of a low-observable platform in a relevant environment, Doss explained. Northrop Grumman is working on the UCAS demonstrator for the service.

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My Comment: Welcome to the new age of naval warfare.