Latest news with #Michael'Buzz'Donnelly
Asia Times
10-04-2025
- Asia Times
US Navy's carrier drone delay handing the domain to China
As the US Navy cautiously inches toward carrier-based unmanned aircraft, China is racing ahead with stealthy naval drones, threatening to tilt the balance of power in the Pacific. This month, The War Zone (TWZ) reported that Rear Admiral Michael 'Buzz' Donnelly of the US Navy's Air Warfare Division outlined a restrained approach to Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) at the recent Sea Air Space symposium in Washington, DC. While working with the US Air Force and Marine Corps, the Navy prioritizes the MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone and its operational integration over carrier-based CCAs. Donnelly explained that the Air Force leads in air vehicle and autonomy development, while the Marines emphasize manned-unmanned teaming via the F-35B. The Navy, trailing its US military counterparts, focuses on infrastructure and autonomy insights gained from the MQ-25. Carrier-specific integration challenges continue to hinder deployment despite the high potential of CCAs. Donnelly projected that initial CCA designs might emerge by the 2030s, contingent on the MQ-25's operational success. He noted the Navy favors more affordable, disposable drones over the Air Force's costly high-end CCAs. However, progress on classified Navy drone initiatives remains largely opaque. China's rapid advances in stealth unmanned carrier-based aircraft underscore the urgency for the US Navy to accelerate its efforts. Donnelly's remarks also raise concerns about the timeline for the F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter, envisioned to operate alongside CCAs. The delays reflect broader challenges in adapting unmanned systems to naval aviation. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, the Navy's CCAs will share a common architecture with the Air Force to enable greater interoperability. Yet, the unique demands of carrier operations present serious obstacles. In a November 2022 article for the Drones peer-reviewed journal, Zixuan Liu and co-authors underscore that aircraft carrier decks are more constrained, risk-prone and complex than land-based airfields. They note the necessity for precise coordination of aircraft categories, support equipment, and launch-recovery sequences to reduce collision risks, which are magnified when incorporating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Liu and colleagues stress that these constraints will require highly automated and optimized scheduling systems, especially as UAVs become more autonomous and numerous in carrier environments. Despite these challenges, the US Navy is taking preliminary steps toward integration. In August 2024, the Navy Times reported that the USS George H W Bush was outfitted with the first Unmanned Air Warfare Center (UAWC) to support MQ-25 operations. Similar upgrades are planned for the USS Carl Vinson, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Ronald Reagan, signaling an institutional shift toward unmanned platforms. Following the MQ-25's full integration into carrier operations—projected for 2026—a 'Stingray to the Fight' program will expand the drone's capabilities, including the addition of an internal mission bay, according to Sam LaGrone in an April 2023 USNI News article. In the long term, the Navy aims for drones to comprise up to 60% of its carrier air wings, as Rear Admiral Gregory Harris noted in an April 2021 TWZ article. For now, the MQ-25 is the lynchpin of the Navy's unmanned aviation efforts. In a January 2025 TWZ article, Lew Callaway emphasizes the MQ-25's tanker role as critical to extending the range and persistence of carrier-based strike aircraft like the F/A-18. He points out that China's sophisticated air defenses and long-range missiles make traditional aerial tankers and island-based refueling stations increasingly vulnerable. The MQ-25 offers a more survivable alternative to sustain carrier operations deep into contested areas of the Pacific. However, the MQ-25's limitations as a strike platform are equally significant. In a July 2023 Proceedings article, Josh Hano notes that the drone was not designed for speed, stealth, or agility. While the aircraft could theoretically carry precision weapons in an internal bay, its structure and systems are ill-suited to evolve into a frontline unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). Hano instead argues that the MQ-25 should evolve into a multirole support platform—performing anti-submarine operations (ASW), electronic warfare (EW), intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), or even acting as a decoy launcher to confuse enemy defenses. Strategically, the delay in the F/A-XX program casts a shadow over CCA development. Developing a complementary unmanned wing without the F/A-XX as a manned command aircraft doesn't make strategic sense. The F/A-XX is planned to replace the F/A-18 and serve as the backbone of future US carrier air wings, which are expected to enter service in the 2030s, but its timeline faces uncertainty. In March 2024, Breaking Defense reported that the Navy deferred approximately US$1 billion in FY2025 funding for F/A-XX research and development, citing a need to prioritize current fleet readiness. The decision reflects a broader struggle to balance immediate operational needs with long-term modernization. Part of the reluctance to commit significant funding may stem from recent procurement misfires. In a December 2024 article for 1945, Robert Farley links US Navy caution on the F/A-XX to a string of troubled programs, including the Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), Zumwalt-class destroyers, Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), and Constellation-class frigates. These projects were all plagued by cost overruns, shifting requirements and underwhelming performance, making policymakers wary of another costly gamble. Farley also suggests that the future of the F/A-XX is entangled with existential questions about aircraft carrier relevance. He references lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, where large warships proved vulnerable and manned aircraft had limited operational impact. Such developments fuel skepticism about investing heavily in a carrier-based fighter that might lack a viable mission. The delays and hesitations risk handing the technological initiative to China. In a February 2022 Pacific Forum article, Loro Horta writes that no military now integrates drones as systematically as the People's Liberation Army (PLA). China treats drones as integral to its combat architecture, using them to compensate for weaknesses in manned platforms and to saturate adversaries with cost-effective systems. Conversely, US Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks acknowledged in a MIT Technology Review interview this month that the US faces difficulties in integrating drones into joint force operations and scaling production at the level China can achieve. In December 2023, TWZ reported that China's GJ-11 Sharp Sword UCAV had been observed at a PLA carrier test facility near a mockup of the Fujian-class carrier. The GJ-11's stealth profile, large internal bays and mission versatility (ISR, EW and strike) indicate it is a key element in China's naval drone plans. Launching such aircraft would require catapult-equipped carriers, such as the Fujian. PLA Navy (PLAN) destroyer commander Chi Jianjun, quoted in The Maritime Executive in January 2025, confirmed that drone platforms are being deployed across China's warships—from carriers and destroyers to amphibious assault vessels like the Type 75 and Type 76 classes. This widespread rollout reflects a coordinated effort to integrate unmanned systems into naval operations fully. As the US Navy treads carefully, slowed by strategic caution and budgetary friction, China's aggressive pursuit of stealthy naval drones threatens to redefine carrier warfare. Without a more decisive shift, the US risks falling behind in a domain it once dominated.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Navy MH-60 Seahawk Replacement Will Leverage Army's Future Vertical Lift Tiltrotor Plans
Ongoing work on the U.S. Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) tiltrotor is helping the U.S. Navy refine its next-generation Future Vertical Lift-Maritime Strike (FVL-MS) plans. FVL-MS is set to be a family of systems with crewed and uncrewed components to succeed the Navy's existing MH-60R and MH-60S Seahawks, as well as its MQ-8C Fire Scout drone helicopters. Navy Rear Adm. Michael 'Buzz' Donnelly, head of the Air Warfare Division within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, provided new details about FVL-MS to TWZ and other outlets on the sidelines of the Navy League's Sea Air Space 2025 exhibition yesterday. The Army is currently working toward fielding a fleet of FLRAA aircraft derived from Bell's V-280 Valor design, which will replace a significant portion of the service's H-60 Black Hawk fleets. The Navy has 270 MH-60Rs and 256 MH-60Ss in inventory, according to NAVAIR's website, but it is unclear whether those figures are current. At present, the service expects to fly both types at least deep into the 2030s. The Navy is already moving to retire all its still-young MQ-8Cs, which have struggled with various issues before and after reaching initial operational capability in 2019. Collectively, MH-60R/S helicopters currently perform a wide range of missions, including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare support, combat search and rescue, assault, and vertical replenishment. The MQ-8C was envisioned primarily as an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, particularly to help Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) with targeting at extended ranges, but that might also have been adapted for other roles. The planned replacement FVL-MS 'is a family of systems. We foresee that to be both a manned platform partnering with an unmanned capability,' Rear Adm. Donnelly said. Whether the concept is close to the Army's FLRAA 'or another type of design is still being evaluated in concept development.' 'We'll definitely continue to leverage what we are already teamed with the [on] Army for FLRAA. Certainly not going to miss an opportunity to take advantage of what they've already developed,' he continued. 'We've got different space and environmental factors in terms of operating from sea, operating from a combined flight deck, that won't allow us to use the exact type of air vehicle they were looking at, but they have done a lot of very good work that we can continue to leverage.' Donnelly noted that the Navy's has a requirement for two FVL-MS aircraft to fit aboard any one 'CRUDES' – short for cruiser and destroyer type ships like the service's existing Ticonderoga and Arleigh Burke classes – as well as its Freedom and Independence class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and future Constellation class frigates. Seahawks also currently operate from other Navy ships, including aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, expeditionary sea base vessels, and command ships. In addition to needing to account for limited physical space, designing aircraft for protracted operations from sea-based platforms brings along other inherent requirements, including measures to mitigate saltwater corrosion. 'Specifically, you know, the [FLRAA] air vehicle, the mechanics, and kinetic performance of that is interesting,' the rear admiral added. 'What's most interesting is the combat system, the ability to integrate unmanned systems from the design up.' 'The [FVL-MS] program is informed by the Army and Marine Corps advances in improved engine design, digital backbone, Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA), advanced rotor blades, materials and launched effects,' the Navy has also said in the past. As TWZ has highlighted many times in the past, increased range, as well as greater speed to cover those distances faster, were key considerations for the Army when it picked Bell's V-280-based design as the winner of the FLRAA competition. The Army has also been very outspoken in touting FLRAA's open-architecture mission systems, which will make it easier to integrate new and improved capabilities and functionality down the line. For the Army, the performance boost that FLRAA offers will be particularly critical in any future operations across the vast expanses of the Indo-Pacific region, especially a potential high-end fight against China. These are similarly important considerations for the Navy, which has to contend with the added complexity of conducting aviation operations from ships at sea that could be thousands of miles from friendly or hostile shores. Extending the operational reach of friendly forces is only set to become more important as the range of potential threats also increases. 'The threat paradigm in the 2030-2035 timeframe — as well as the principles of DMO [Distributed Maritime Operations] — dictate that FVL (MS) be able to conduct these tasks in a highly contested environment, at greater ranges, and with greater speed, endurance and precision,' the Navy previously laid out in its Naval Aviation Vision 2030-2035 document. 'FVL (MS) will leverage advances in AI and ML [artificial intelligence and machine learning] sensor technology, AI and ML to fully integrate the manned and unmanned platforms to form highly effective teams, thereby reducing operator workload and increasing the speed and quality of aircrew decision-making.' This, together with Donnelly's comments yesterday about the Navy being particularly interested in what the Army is doing with FLRAA when it comes to teaming with uncrewed platforms, underscore just how important vertical takeoff and landing capable drones capable of performing a variety of missions are to the FVL-MS plan. A crewed-uncrewed team with extended reach could be particularly useful for anti-submarine warfare missions, something TWZ has highlighted in the past. Overall, 'FVL (MS) will be the most widely distributed aviation platform in the Navy embarking on all surface combatants from future FFG to aircraft carriers and will contribute to more primary mission areas than any other aviation platform in the Navy,' Rear Adm. Donnelly had said last May. That month, the Navy announced the FVL-MS program had completed an analysis of alternatives (AoA) and was moving on to the development of a Capabilities Development Document (CDD) to firm up core requirements, as well as associated concepts of operations (CONOPS). For its part, Bell has pitched a navalized derivative of the V-280 tiltrotor in the past, as well as maritime strike and anti-submarine warfare configurations of its companion uncrewed V-247 Vigilant design, to the Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marines say they are also following the FLRAA program closely to see what could be leveraged in their search for a new Next Generation Assault Support (NGAS) aircraft to succeed the MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor. Tiltrotors, in general, offer substantial advantages in terms of speed, range, and maximum operating altitude they offer over traditional helicopters. However, they have not seen widespread adoption globally by armed forces or in the commercial sector due to historically high costs and complexities associated with the designs. The V-22, though currently in service with the Navy, Marines, and U.S. Air Force, has been and remains a very controversial aircraft with a checkered service record punctuated by numerous fatal crashes. This includes the loss of an Air Force CV-22B in 2023 off the coast of Japan that triggered a three-month-long grounding of virtually all Ospreys worldwide, the fallout from which is still being felt. It is worth noting that tilt-rotors do also present particular challenges for shipboard operations when it comes to the aforementioned space requirements. The Osprey features a folding main wing and rotors to help reduce its physical footprint. Adding such features to a design that does not include them from the start could be a complicated proposition. Models of the V-247 have been shown with a similar folding main wing and rotor arrangement to the V-22. Advanced compound helicopter designs like the SB>1 Defiant that lost to the V-280 in the FLRAA competition are still another pathway to increases in range and speed. At the same time, they bring their own costs and complexities, and still have generally lower overall performance than comparable tiltrotor designs. Back in February, a Navy contracting notice also highlighted the service's potential interest in a new Service Life Modernization (SLM) effort for the MH-60R/S Seahawk fleets, which could entail 'a collection of efforts with intended competitive space that will result in an extensive re-architecture and modernization of the MH-60R/MH-60S cockpit avionics and mission systems using a Modular Open System Approach.' The full scale and scope of the proposed SLM plan remains unclear. Sikorsky, now a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, developed a common digital cockpit architecture for the MH-60R and MH-60S variants decades ago. The Navy has also been looking at a separate Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) for the MH-60S specifically, and primarily to address airframe fatigue, since at least 2022, according to official budget documents. The Navy is already pursuing a number of other Seahawk modernization efforts, including engine improvements and communication suite upgrades, as well. As already discussed in the context of FLRAA, installing new open-architecture avionics and other mission systems onto the MH-60R/Ss would help simplify the process of adding updated functionality to the Navy Seahawks across the rest of their remaining service life. This might also provide another bridge, at least in part, to capabilities for FVL-MS. It's also worth noting that the cost of replacing all of the Navy's MH-60R/S helicopters with new FVL-MS aircraft could well be very steep. Like the Army, the Navy could decide to operate a hybrid fleet that retains a number of Seahawks for the foreseeable future. What we do know is that the Navy is actively leveraging elements of the Army's FLRAA program to help push ahead toward its future FVL-MS family of systems. Contact the author: joe@
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
Navy Isn't Scrambling To Field Loyal Wingman Drones Like The Air Force
We just got a clearer picture of where the Navy's air arm stands when it comes to its progress — or lack thereof — in developing and fielding carrier-based Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) that will fly primarily alongside the service's fighter aircraft in a force-multiplying role. Rear Adm. Michael 'Buzz' Donnelly, Director of the Air Warfare Division (N98) within Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, was asked about when CCAs will be integrated into the carrier air wing and what their primary focus will be during a panel at the annual Sea Air Space symposium in Washington, D.C. today, at which TWZ was in attendance. His response paints a picture of how the Navy is not heavily focusing on this capability right now. Instead, it is putting more effort into its MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone, and its supporting infrastructure, while allowing the other services, especially the USAF, to prove out the CCA concept. In other words, don't expect CCAs on supercarrier decks anything soon. Donnelly stated: 'The United States Navy is in a tri-service memorandum of agreement and understanding with our sister services, the U.S. Air Force, as well as the Marine Corps, and we are developing that capability together. Each of us are focused on a different aspect of that. The Air Force is leading and very forward leaning in the development of the actual air vehicle and the autonomy that goes in those for execution of mission. Marine Corps is working closely to develop manned-unmanned teaming between platforms such as the F-35, the F-35B being the baseline for their aviation capability right now. And the United States Navy is working based on our pathway of unmanned into the fleet with MQ-25. The baseline architecture that will be required to enable those capabilities, as well as the ground control station that we are currently utilizing for MQ-25 we expect to become the standard for all of these systems. As we work together for the United States Navy, I will tell you that we are definitely in the follow of those three services as we look to see how Air Force is developing and fielding things, quite frankly, in a more simple operational environment than what is required for a ship-based system. We know that we're going to leverage what we learned in MQ-25 as a pathway of unmanned into the Carrier Air Wing and operating in the fleet over the next coming years, and then between what we see as mission capability, understanding of autonomy and the function of that in the mission capabilities, and what we've learned with MQ-25, I think it's foreseeable that we're going to see initial designs and capabilities fielding to the fleet in the 2030s.' So, while we have indications that the Navy may not be moving as quickly on CCAs as the USAF, this is our most comprehensive update on the service's thinking. Basically, the Navy is looking to leverage the other services' trials and errors and will make informed decisions based on that data down the line. Just integrating the MQ-25 into the air wing is a huge hurdle to overcome, and some of those lessons and technologies could also feed in the opposite direction, back into the USAF and Marines' CCA programs. Rear Adm. Donnelly is certainly right about how integrating CCAs onto a carrier is a tougher proposition than doing so at a large static airfield. At the same time, one could easily argue that there is no better application for CCAs and advanced unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) in general than the carrier. Mixing manned and unmanned capabilities on the same vessel is arguably harder than just deploying unmanned capabilities alone. It's worth noting that China is racing ahead with its advanced carrier-based unmanned capabilities, jumping right into stealthy UCAVs capable of independent and cooperative operations, and not just for its fixed-wing carriers but also its largest amphibious assault ships. The United States has no analog for this capability. Carrier-based UCAVs that were supposed to have been procured over a decade ago were axed entirely in one of the strangest moves in modern military history that you can read all about here. For the Navy, its multi-role stealth UCAV was replaced with what is now the MQ-25 tanker. Promotional video for the shipborne version of the GJ-11 drone shown by the AVIC at the China Air Show. — 彩云香江 (@louischeung_hk) October 7, 2021 The Navy is currently looking to have its air wings made up of more drones than manned aircraft by sometime in the later end of the 2030s, so CCAs and similar systems are still likely to come. But for now, the service is concentrating on getting the drone it has already ordered — which is late and over budget — integrated into the carrier environment while taking more of a wait-and-see approach for others. Of course, this is taking Donnelly's statement at face value. It's unclear what the Navy is doing in the classified domain. Still, his remarks today were very clear and blunt on the issue. This also calls into question the F/A-XX sixth-generation fighter aircraft the service is supposedly about to award a contract for anytime now. That aircraft has been slated to work alongside CCAs as a key feature. The timing of its development and the Navy's eventual movement on that capability remains murky at best. Since Navy and Air Force fighter aircraft will be able to use each other's CCAs, it's possible that leveraging Air Force types could be a gateway early on in the naval fighter's service if the Navy's own CCA drones have not arrived in force on carrier decks by that time. Still, the carrier not having its own CCAs would severely limit the utility and applicability of the F/A-XX's manned-unmanned teaming capabilities. Finally, from much of what we have seen, the Navy seems to be interested in cheaper and more disposable CCAs than the Air Force, which is pursuing a much higher-end capability with unit costs in the tens of millions. This came up again today at the conference, with the possibility of buying CCAs with very short airframe life at lower costs being an attractive option for the service. So, while much of the command and control architecture and some of the tactics, logistics and procedures may port over, the USAF may end up with a very different CCA vision than the Navy and possibly the USMC. We'll have to see how this all plays out, but it seems clear that the Navy thinks it has enough drone challenges on its hands at this time with the MQ-25 and that it can wait to take on more. Contact the author: Tyler@
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
F/A-XX Will Have Just 25% More Range Than Existing Navy Fighters
The U.S. Navy expects its future F/A-XX sixth-generation stealth fighters to offer just a 25 percent increase in range over the existing tactical combat jets in its carrier air wings. The disclosure comes as a surprise given that the service consistently makes it clear that extending the reach of its carrier strike groups is a critical priority as the range of expected threats also continues to grow. F/A-XX is also being designed around the availability the organic aerial refueling capabilities that will come with the carrier-based MQ-25 Stingray tanker drone, which is expected to have significant range as TWZ has just explored in a new in-depth feature. Navy Rear Adm. Michael 'Buzz' Donnelly, head of the Air Warfare Division within the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, talked about the expected range and other features of the F/A-XX with TWZ and other outlets on the sidelines of the Navy League's Sea Air Space 2025 exhibition earlier today. Following the reported ejection of Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman are now said to be face-to-face in the F/A-XX competition, the winner of which is expected to be announced soon. F/A-XX will offer 'probably over 125 percent of the range that we're seeing today to give us better flexibility operational reach,' Donnelly said. 'So it will definitely have longer inherent range.' Donnelly was subsequently asked explicitly if this meant '25 percent more capacity before you start adding in refueling,' to which he said 'yeah, affirm[itive].' Donnelly did not offer any specifics, but the F-35C carrier-based variant of the Joint Strike Fighter has the longest combat radius of any tactical jet in the Navy's current carrier air wings, which U.S. military sources put at around 670 nautical miles (close to 1,241 kilometers). This, in turn, would put the F/A-XX's expected maximum combat radius at roughly 837.5 nautical miles (just over 1,551 kilometers) F/A-XX will, 'of course, have refuel ability, and all of our air wings, our tactics, and what we're designing in the future considers organic refueling capability, so the F/A-XX will be able to leverage that,' Donnelly added. 'With refueling, you could say that's indefinite [range], as long as refueling is available.' Otherwise, F/A-XX will be able to 'penetrate threat airspace. That will pace the threat that we see into the future beyond 2040. So that's what we see as essential as the threat builds out its ISR [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] capabilities and increases kinetic capabilities,' Donnelly also said. The sixth-generation carrier-based fighter 'will also, with the integration of AI [artificial intelligence] and other technical advantages, allow us to have increased battle space management. And it will be our next platform that, instead of being man-in-the-loop, will truly be man-on-the-loop, and allow us to have fully integrated architecture with our unmanned systems that we're going to be fielding.' Donnelly specifically mentioned teaming F/A-XX with future Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), which could include types operated by the Navy and the U.S. Air Force, as well as larger uncrewed aircraft like the MQ-25. Acting as aerial 'quarterback for drones has long been a key expected mission for F/A-XX, as well as the Air Force's forthcoming F-47 Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) combat jet from Boeing. The Navy also has a now long-standing goal to deploy carrier air wings that are at least 60 percent uncrewed by the 2040s. The MQ-25 is set to serve as a 'pathfinder' for expanding uncrewed aircraft operations from Navy carriers and could itself evolve into a long-range multi-mission platform as you can read more about in detail here. As mentioned already, the revelation today about the F/A-XX's range is particularly notable. Rear Adm. Donnelly himself described the jet's expected tactical reach as 'an essential attribute,' despite it being a modest increase over existing capabilities. This all might also point a focus on higher performance or an aircraft that could be truncated in some way to help lower costs. Regardless, the Navy is already a facing threat ecosystem full of potential adversaries, especially near-peer ones like China, that can engage friendly forces in the air, at sea, and on the ground, further and further away. Just in January, the Air Force released a report that warned about the projected fielding of anti-air missiles with ranges of up to 1,000 miles by 2050. For the Navy, this increases the demand to extend the reach of the carrier air wing to help reduce the vulnerability of the entire strike group. Many had expected F/A-XX to have a much larger combat radius than the service's existing tactical jets for this reason, which would help further extend the buffer against future threats. The Navy has separately expressed an interest in finding new ways to extend the unrefueled reach of its F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and its EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets. 'Carriers, with their ability to move over 700 miles a day, creating 1.5 million square miles of uncertainty, that is an element of survivability that will continue to be extremely important,' Rear Adm. Donnelly also said at a separate panel discussion at the Sea Air Space 2025 exhibition today. 'And what will increase is the range and reach that our future air wings will provide.' 'Today, we have the ability, with the combination of the F-18 [F/A-18E/F] and the EA-18G Growler, as well as the F-35 and our weapons for an operational range that provides us an area of effect of over eight million square miles,' he continued. 'And when we look to the 2040s, with the integration of MQ-25 to provide organic refueling, platforms such as F/A-XX with extended range, the weapons we expect to field at that time, we expect that area of effect increase to over 11 million square miles.' 'That area of effect is important, because that's also the area of uncertainty for the air wing that enhances the survivability of the strike group, but it's also the tactical reality combined with the attributes of those platforms that allow us to penetrate into complex [environments], [with] ubiquitous ISR that the threat will continue to field, and be selective in our targeting so that we can be efficient and persist longer,' the rear admiral added. More clarity about the F/A-XX's overall capabilities, as well as how the aircraft fits into the Navy's broader carrier strike group plans, is likely to emerge when the winner of the competition is finally announced. We do know now that the service expects the sixth-generation stealth fighters, at least currently, to bring a relatively minor increase in unrefueled range to its future carrier air wings. Contact the author: joe@
