U.S. Chief of Naval of Operations Adm. John Richardson has pushed for speedy progress in the U.S. Navy’s effort to develop a new unmanned armed aircraft for launch from a carrier at sea, Reuters reported Monday.
Richardson believes the Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike program is the way forward for the Navy to develop a drone that operates from a carrier, Andrea Shalal reports.
“That’s a prime candidate for trying to get something out there… so that we can learn how to operate an unmanned aerial vehicle from a carrier,” Richardson told a U.S. Naval Institute event.
He said the Navy and Navy Secretary Ray Mabus are eager to move forward with unmanned vehicles built for the air, the surface and underwater missions, according to the report.
Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and General Atomics are among the companies that have prepared to bid for the project, Reuters reports.
Breaking Defense reports the Navy plans to release a design for the UCLASS aircraft in January 2016.
The Navy also wants new technologies for cyber weapons and electronic warfare to move past the hurdle of the acquisition process, Sydney Freedberg Jr. reports.
