US Navy supercarrier gets drone command center that will operate $136 million ‘Stingray’ drones

The Boeing-made MQ-25 drone is set to hit Initial Operational Capability in 2026.

The drone, which is 51 feet long and has a range of around 580 miles, will be “the world’s first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft,” according to NAVAIR.

It comes amid a wider push by the Department of Defense to upgrade the US’s drone capabilities.

Drones have become an increasingly core part of modern warfare, with the Russia-Ukraine war in particular putting the unmanned systems under the spotlight.

The US Navy has also been embroiled in a drone battle with the Houthi rebels over the Red Sea.

The Yemeni group began attacking shipping with drones and missiles in the region in October in a show of support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its conflict with Israel.

Bryan Clark, a former Navy submariner and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute previously told the Associated Press that the US Navy was facing “the most sustained combat” it has seen since World War II as it battled the group’s attacks.