By Caitlyn Burchett | Stars & Stripes
The Navy recently outfitted an aircraft carrier with the first drone operations center, furthering the service’s high-tech pursuit into remotely piloted aircraft.
The MQ-25 Stingray warfare center was installed aboard the USS George H.W. Bush, which is based at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., according to an Aug. 15 announcement from Naval Air Systems Command. The MQ-25 Stingray, built by Boeing, is a tanker drone designed to refuel manned fighter jets in midair.
Early next year, the Bush will put the warfare center to the test, leading the first at-sea trial of the center’s networks. The crew won’t operate a Stingray but will instead use the software to communicate with a simulated aircraft in a lab in Patuxent River, Md.