--- title: "Navy Sounds Like It Now Wants The Air Combat Drone It Notoriously Passed Over A Decade Ago" description: "A carrier drone with a heavy weapons capacity, long reach, and the ability to operate in heavily contested airspace is just what the junked X-47B was designed to offer." date: "2026-09-01" modified: "2026-09-01" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick" - name: "Tyler Rogoway" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/tyler-rogoway" url: "https://www.twz.com/sea/navys-sounds-like-it-now-wants-the-air-combat-drone-it-notoriously-passed-over-a-decade-ago" categories: - "Carriers" - "Drones" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "Sea" - "U.S. Navy" --- # Navy Sounds Like It Now Wants The Air Combat Drone It Notoriously Passed Over A Decade Ago ![The U.S. Navy’s newest stated requirements for its Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) effort point toward a drone that sounds very much like an advanced uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), rather than a smaller and less capable autonomous 'loyal wingman' intended to economically augment crewed fighters.]() *USN/Alan Radecki* The U.S. Navy’s newest stated requirements for its [Collaborative Combat Aircraft]() (CCA) effort point toward a drone that sounds very much like an advanced uncrewed combat air vehicle (UCAV), rather than a smaller and less capable autonomous 'loyal wingman' [intended to economically augment crewed fighters](). Overall, the new requirements serve as a tacit admission that the Navy is still looking for the kind of drone that it previously [explored with extreme promise in the X-47B]() and [Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike]() (UCLASS) program. The UCLASS requirements were abruptly shelved and replaced with an uncrewed carrier-based tanker effort, which resulted in [the MQ-25 Stingray](). This act was seen by some as one of the most controversial and puzzling procurement decisions in modern naval aviation history. The traditional [loyal wingman or CCA concept]() generally envisions uncrewed 'fighter' aircraft whose primary purpose is to complement crewed companions. This typically involves extending the crewed platform's sensor reach, carrying additional weapons, and opening up a greatly expanded tactics playbook. An advanced UCAV, by contrast, is [fundamentally an independent combat aircraft in its own right](), designed to deliver weapons and other effects similar to what a crewed platform can provide without requiring a crew onboard or nearby. As such, it is more capable, survivable, and an overall 'exquisite' asset with a heavier payload, more capable of taking the place of a crewed aircraft in certain roles, rather than augmenting them, although there is nothing keeping them from working in a loyal wingman type role if required. ![]() *A rendering of a U.S. Navy Super Hornet working alongside smaller collaborative drones. *Collins Aerospace/screencap** Yesterday, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) released a new [Request for Information]() (RFI) that lays out an unusually demanding set of requirements for a CCA Increment 1 prototype. Among other things, the Navy wants an aircraft capable of operating from its aircraft carriers, carrying plentiful weapons, conducting strike missions in highly contested environments, and operating both independently and as part of a larger crewed-uncrewed team. The combination of these requirements provides a much clearer picture of what the Navy wants its future carrier-based combat drones to be capable of. Perhaps the most striking requirement concerns weapons carriage. The Navy says the Increment 1 CCA must have the ability to carry four externally mounted weapons weighing up to 2,500 pounds each throughout the target flight envelope and during carrier certification activities. That equates to a potential external weapons load of 10,000 pounds, although it should not necessarily be interpreted as the aircraft’s normal operational configuration. By way of comparison, a *very* heavily loaded [F/A-18E/F Super Hornet]() might launch with close to 17,000 pounds of weapons and stores — though [that is far from common](). ![]() *An F/A-18F equipped with a uniquely massive weapons load, including no fewer than 10 1,000-pound GBU-32 JDAMs slung under its wings. All in, this stores load-out weighed roughly 16,750 pounds. *U.S. Navy** Meanwhile, the kinds of drones that the U.S. Air Force [is currently exploring]() under its own separate CCA Increment 1 effort, namely the General Atomics [YFQ-42A Dark Merlin]() and Anduril [YFQ-44A Fury](), are air-to-air optimized. Their primary loadout is widely expected to be [a pair of AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles](), which is just a fraction of the Navy's newly stated payload requirement. ![]() *A YFQ-44A Fury drone carrying an inert AIM-120 air-to-air missile during a flight test. *U.S. Air Force** The RFI NAVAIR put out yesterday also specifically asks respondents to address internal weapons carriage, with both capacity and survivability among the factors the Navy will consider. Internal stores carriage would offer obvious advantages in reducing an aircraft’s radar signature and preserving aerodynamic performance. The Navy also wants the aircraft to have a substantial combat radius while carrying its required weapons load, as well as the ability to spend at least 30 minutes on station while retaining sufficient fuel reserves to return to the carrier. For a CCA, carrier operations add another layer of complexity. The aircraft must be capable of catapult launches and arrested landings from both *Ford* and *Nimitz* class carriers, while operating within existing carrier deck, elevator, hangar, and support constraints. ![]() *F/A-18E/Fs and F-35Cs seen on the deck of the *Nimitz* class supercarrier USS T*heodore Roosevelt* on July 10, 2026. *Seaman Apprentice Tyler Harstad/U.S. Navy** Autonomy is similarly central to the concept. The Navy wants mission and flight autonomy that can support the aircraft from launch through recovery, along with the ability to incorporate third-party mission software. The prototype is also expected to demonstrate both individual and multi-aircraft autonomous operations. While crewed-uncrewed teaming is a fundamental part of the concept, the latest requirements make it clear that the aircraft will not depend on a crewed aircraft continuously supervising its actions. ***The video below from Collins Aerospace offers a notional look at what crewed-uncrewed teaming involving carrier- and land-based CCA-type drones might look like in the future.*** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0iiNHWYZus In terms of the survivability requirement, the Navy specifically wants the aircraft to operate in highly contested environments and is asking industry to provide approaches for assessing and managing survivability during collaborative operations. The consideration of internal weapons carriage is another indication that signature reduction and survivability are important design considerations, pointing to a low-observable (stealthy) platform. All of this begins to blur the distinction between the Navy's Increment 1 CCA plan and a traditional survivable UCAV concept. That does not necessarily mean the Navy is abandoning the CCA concept entirely in favor of resurrecting the carrier-based UCAV concept. Rather, it suggests that the distinction between the two becomes blurred as requirements overlap. There also remains the strong possibility (or more likely probability) that the Navy will seek to explore CCA designs closer to what the Air Force, as well as [the U.S. Marine Corps](), are pursuing. This could potentially include development of carrier-based versions of one or more of those designs under a future increment. ![]() *A rendering depicting General Atomics carrier-based Gambit 5 drones operating from a British *Queen Elizabeth* class carrier. *General Atomics** The new RFI is also consistent with the Navy’s broader [Air Wing of the Future effort]() (AWOTF). An earlier NAVAIR sources-sought notice released in July outlined an expansive vision for future carrier-based uncrewed aircraft covering missions including surface warfare; strike warfare; anti-submarine warfare; air warfare; electronic warfare; intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR&T); mobility; and logistics. That notice also pointed toward aircraft capable of attacking targets [at least 1,000 nautical miles]() from the carrier without requiring aerial refueling, while leaving open the possibility of extending that reach with tankers. ![]() *The mission sets as defined in the earlier RFI from July 2026. The acronyms JFC and CVW here refer to the joint force commander and the carrier air wing, respectively. *U.S. Navy** Intriguingly, the new RFI does not include an explicit maximum range target, but based on the payload requirements alone, this would be very considerable, reflecting [the Navy’s concerns]() about fighting [a future conflict across the vast distances of the Pacific](). Traditional advanced UCAVs usually have a combat radius measured in thousands of miles, not hundreds, far exceeding the reach of their crewed fighter counterparts. Whatever the possible range target, the planned weapons load also points to a substantial airframe. Indeed, the deck-space requirement outlined in the RFI is relevant here. The CCA’s “spot factor” cannot exceed that of an existing fourth-generation fighter, meaning that it could potentially be as large as an F/A-18E/F. Otherwise, however, the latest CCA Increment 1 RFI is considerably more concrete. The Navy wants a first flight of a prototype within 24 months of a contract award and carrier certification during a three-year development effort. It also wants a path toward an affordability target of around $30 million per aircraft. This kind of price point would put it at the top end of the CCA concepts we have seen so far, and is fairly ambitious for a higher-end UCAV. Navy officials said in 2024 that [the CCA’s unit cost target was around $15 million](), reflecting the idea that the aircraft would be sufficiently inexpensive to be expendable under some circumstances. The new RFI instead asks industry to outline a path toward an affordability target of $30 million per aircraft. That is still a fraction of the cost of a modern carrier-based fighter, but it suggests the Navy is willing to pay considerably more for an aircraft with substantially greater weapons capacity, range, autonomy, and survivability. ![]() *Concept artwork showing Boeing MQ-28 Ghost Bat CCAs alongside a Super Hornet. *Boeing** As to the companies that might respond to the RFI, in August of last year, the Navy [confirmed]() that Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman were all on contract for “conceptual” CCA designs. At that time, the service also said Lockheed Martin had been hired to work on [a common control architecture]() for the drones. Lockheed Martin is already the prime contractor for [the control stations and associated software]() the service is [integrating onto its carriers]() now to support the MQ-25. The new RFI, however, marks a shift from the conceptual studies described last year toward a specific prototype effort. The Navy is seeking industry input as it shapes the acquisition strategy, with responses due September 18. In the past, the Navy has said it is aiming for the total makeup of carrier air wings to [eventually be 60 percent or more uncrewed](), although the precise balance is still to be determined and will certainly be informed by the lessons of Navy CCA Increment 1. Exactly how the CCA might fit in with the Navy’s sixth-generation crewed fighter – [known as F/A-XX]() – is another intriguing prospect, but would clearly be optimized to work alongside that platform. Now, back to the Navy’s earlier effort to develop a high-end, stealthy, carrier-based UCAV capability. Northrop Grumman built two [X-47B]() demonstrators for that program, both of which underwent extensive flight testing, including carrier operations and aerial refueling. The aircraft flew from 2011 for around half a decade. As of 2022, both X-47Bs had been earmarked for [eventual public display at museums](). ![]() *The two X-47Bs together. *Northrop Grumman** The two X-47Bs had offered far more than a glimpse of what a carrier-based UCAV capability might look like, and the base design was set to evolve into an operational type. These were large, stealthy UCAVs with thousands of pounds of payload and endurance that far outstripped crewed naval fighter aircraft. The follow-on UCLASS program aimed to see the capabilities the X-47 demonstrated put into operation via a new aircraft procurement effort. However, it transformed into the radically different, less ambitious, tanker-focused Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) program in the mid-2010s. This, as noted, led to the [MQ-25 Stingray](). To this day, the cancellation of UCLASS remains a very sore spot and is widely seen as a nearsighted and even reckless decision. This mirrored earlier moves by the USAF, which had demonstrated how revolutionary UCAV capabilities could be, only to entirely walk away from the concept. In fact, that service went even further, appearing to erase those developments from recent memory. You can read all about this bizarre and troubling inflection point in American air power history and the glaring questions surrounding [it in this past feature.]() ![]() *MQ-25 T-1 seen during deck handling testing aboard the USS *George H.W. Bush*. *U.S. Navy** Fast forward to today, and the Navy is getting the MQ-25, which is primarily a tanker, but clearly, that was not the only mission set that influenced its exotic design. In fact, these Navy requirements could open the door for the Stingray platform to potentially fulfill at least parts of the Navy uncrewed combat drone role in a 'cleaned-up,' stealthier configuration, something we have [explored in depth in the past](). Overall, the takeaway here is that the Navy’s latest CCA requirements raise the intriguing possibility that its earlier UCAV ambitions are resurfacing, this time under the CCA banner. This is happening as China is moving very quickly with its own stealthy UCAVs, a number of which are in testing, and one of which is [very mature]() and [is navalized for shipboard operations]() –[ the GJ-11 Sharp Sword.]() The GJ-11 sounds very similar to the Navy's requirements wish list, including its ability to act independently and teamed with crewed counterparts, as well as its general size and need for survivability. While an RFI only represents an early part of the contracting process, in practical terms, it looks like the Navy is asking whether industry can finally make good on the past promise of a U.S. Navy UCAV. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()