U.S. Navy Installs MQ-25 Unmanned Air Warfare Center aboard USS George H.W. Bush Aircraft Carrier | Aviation

The UAWC, which the USS Bush will test early next year, will allow the aircraft carrier to include the MQ-25 Stingray and other unmanned assets in its flight operations.

Th U.S. Navy has recently installed the first Unmanned Air Warfare Center (UAWC) aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). The UAWC will be used by Air Vehicle Pilots (AVPs) to control the MQ-25 Stingray during airborne operations, as well as future unmanned platforms.

In a press release on Aug. 15, 2024, NAVAIR (Naval Air Systems Command) said the installation was a multi-year effort coordinated across multiple ship availability periods and the ship’s deployment schedule. Early next year, the USS Bush will be employed for the first at-sea testing of the UAWC’s operational networks.

“CVN 77’s UAWC lays the foundation for how the U.S. Navy will operate and control unmanned aircraft, and perhaps other unmanned vehicles, with UMCS,” said Unmanned Carrier Aviation (PMA-268) Program Manager Capt. Daniel Fucito. “These systems will initially support the MQ-25 but also future unmanned systems such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft that comprise the Air Wing of the Future.”

The UAWC

The Unmanned Air Warfare Center will act as a carrier-based control…