US full steam ahead with drone-based carrier warfare

The US is plowing full steam ahead into the future of naval warfare with the groundbreaking addition of a drone command center aboard its supercarriers.

This month, The War Zone reported that the USS George H W Bush (CVN-77), a US Navy Nimitz class supercarrier, has recently been equipped with a dedicated Unmanned Air Warfare Center (UAWC), marking it as the first of its kind to integrate such a facility.

The War Zone report says that the UAWC is the operational hub for advanced uncrewed aircraft, including the MQ-25 Stingray tanker drones and future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).

It notes that this development is part of the US Navy’s broader plan to incorporate UAWCs across all Nimitz and Ford-class carriers. The report says that the UAWC features the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS) MD-5E Ground Control Station (GCS), developed by the US Navy in collaboration with Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works.

The War Zone notes that the GCS is designed to support the MQ-25’s primary mission of extending the carrier air wing’s reach while reducing reliance on F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters for refueling tasks.

The report mentions that, despite delays and cost overruns since Boeing’s 2018 Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) program win, the US Navy aims for a 2026 initial operational capability with plans to acquire 76 MQ-25 drones.

It says that the USS George H W Bush is set to commence at-sea testing of the UAWC’s operational networks early next year, building upon initial tests conducted on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

Integrating unmanned aerial systems (UAS) on carriers like the USS George H W Bush highlights the increasing need for advanced aerial refueling capabilities, particularly