US Navy seeks carrier combat drones carrying up to 10,000 pounds

The US Navy is asking defense companies to propose autonomous combat aircraft capable of launching from aircraft carriers, performing strike missions and carrying as much as 10,000 pounds of externally mounted weapons.

Naval Air Systems Command issued a request for information (RFI) on August 31, 2026, seeking two fully functional prototype aircraft for the first increment of the Navy’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.

The uncrewed aircraft must be compatible with both Gerald R. Ford-class and Nimitz-class carriers, including their catapult launch and arrested landing systems. The Navy wants the prototypes to meet shore-based carrier certification requirements within three years of a potential agreement.

“The Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft program was established to provide the Carrier Air Wing with lethal, survivable and persistent, versatile platforms capable of operating directly from the sea,” the Navy said in the RFI.

The service described the proposed aircraft as “affordable, weaponized, extended-range platforms” capable of operating autonomously alongside crewed aircraft. They would be used to increase the reach and weapons capacity of carrier air wings while undertaking missions considered too risky for crewed fighters.

Navy outlines weapons and cost requirements

The Navy wants each aircraft to carry four externally mounted weapons, with each store weighing as much as 2,500 pounds. That creates a potential maximum external weapons load of 10,000 pounds, although it does not necessarily represent the aircraft’s normal operational configuration.

The service is also evaluating whether weapons could be carried internally, which would reduce radar visibility compared with external stores.

Prospective contractors must provide the aircraft’s maximum combat radius while carrying weapons, remaining on station for 30 minutes and retaining enough reserve fuel to return safely to the carrier. The Navy did not publicly specify a minimum range.

The proposed aircraft should occupy no more flight deck or hangar space than an existing fourth-generation fighter. The Navy has established an affordability target of no more than $30 million per aircraft.

For comparison, a new crewed fighter such as the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet or Lockheed Martin F-35C typically costs considerably more, without accounting for the expense of training and supporting a human pilot.

The drones would use the Navy’s existing MD-5 Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System, which was initially developed to control Boeing’s MQ-25 Stingray carrier-based refueling aircraft. The system is intended to support both individual aircraft and coordinated operations involving multiple drones.

Autonomous aircraft would fly alongside Navy fighters

The Navy envisions the new aircraft operating with current and future carrier-based fighters, including the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-35C Lightning II and the planned F/A-XX sixth-generation combat aircraft.

Unlike the US Air Force’s initial CCA aircraft, which have focused primarily on air-to-air missions, the Navy wants its carrier-based drones to support both aerial combat and strike operations.

Several major manufacturers have already conducted conceptual work on potential Navy CCA designs. Anduril, Boeing, General Atomics and Northrop Grumman have previously been linked to the program, while Lockheed Martin has worked on the associated command-and-control architecture.

The Navy’s requirements could favor designs substantially different from the General Atomics YFQ-42A and Anduril YFQ-44A being developed for the Air Force. Naval aircraft require reinforced landing gear, corrosion protection and other structural changes to withstand catapult launches, arrested landings and prolonged operations at sea.

The new RFI is a market-research notice rather than a formal competition or commitment to purchase aircraft. Industry responses are due by September 18, 2026, and will help the Navy prepare a possible request for prototype proposals.The post US Navy seeks carrier combat drones carrying up to 10,000 pounds appeared first on AeroTime.

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