The US Navy finally has a carrier with a built-in center for drones and other unmanned aircraft

USS Theodore Roosevelt is now the Navy’s first carrier ready for MQ-25 operations US Navy spent years developing infrastructure needed to operate unmanned aircraft aboard carriers Ronald Reagan is expected to join the MQ-25 carrier fleet in August 2026 The US Navy has completed a major step toward o

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>USS Theodore Roosevelt is now the Navy’s first carrier ready for MQ-25 operations</strong></li><li><strong>US Navy spent years developing infrastructure needed to operate unmanned aircraft aboard carriers</strong></li><li><strong>Ronald Reagan is expected to join the MQ-25 carrier fleet in August 2026</strong></li></ul><p>The US Navy has completed a major step toward operating unmanned aircraft from carriers with dedicated facilities for controlling them.</p><p>The USS Theodore Roosevelt is now the service’s first carrier with a fully operational Unmanned Air Warfare Center supporting MQ-25 operations.</p><p>Another carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, is expected to have its own center ready for operational deployment by August 2026.</p><h2 id="theodore-roosevelt-leads-the-carrier-integration-effort">Theodore Roosevelt leads the carrier integration effort</h2><p>The Unmanned Air Warfare Center combines equipment required to control and manage unmanned aircraft operating from an aircraft carrier.</p><p>The Navy says its systems include the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System and MD-5E Ground Control Station.</p><p>Those systems provide the command-and-control functions required for operating Boeing’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial refueling aircraft.</p><p>The USS George H.W. Bush became the first carrier to receive and test the center during August 2024.</p><p>However, Theodore Roosevelt is the first carrier where the capability has reached fully operational and deployable status.</p><p>According to a Pentagon acquisition document dated April 21, 2026, the Theodore Roosevelt “became the first fully operational/deployable MQ-25 capable aircraft carrier.”</p><p>The development gives the carrier force a dedicated infrastructure for unmanned aviation rather than treating <a href="https://www.techradar.com/cameras/drones/best-drone">drones</a> as temporary additions.</p><p>That distinction matters because the MQ-25 requires specialized equipment alongside existing systems used for conventional carrier aviation.</p><p>The Navy expects the Ronald Reagan facility to become operational and deployable toward the end of August 2026.</p><h2 id="mq-25-moves-closer-to-carrier-deployment">MQ-25 moves closer to carrier deployment</h2><p>The carrier infrastructure comes as the MQ-25 program advances after several years of development and testing.</p><p>In May 2026, the Stingray reached milestone C, allowing the program to move from development toward production and deployment.</p><p>The milestone followed nearly eight years of work since the Navy awarded Boeing an $805 million contract in 2018.</p><p>That contract covered four aircraft for design, development, fabrication, testing and delivery under the original program.</p><p>At that time, Navy estimates put the eventual cost near $13 billion for a planned fleet of 72 aircraft.</p><p>The program nevertheless experienced delays, including a first flight that occurred later than earlier schedules.</p><p>On April 25 2026, the Stingray completed an approximately two-hour flight near Mascoutah, Illinois, advancing its testing program.</p><p>The aircraft is intended primarily to provide aerial refueling, reducing the burden currently carried by F/A-18E/F Super Hornets.</p><p>That change could allow more Super Hornets to remain available for strike missions rather than supporting carrier refueling requirements.</p><p>The MQ-25 therefore depends on both the aircraft itself and carrier infrastructure capable of controlling unmanned operations.</p><p>With another carrier approaching readiness, the U.S. Navy is now moving from isolated testing toward a broader carrier-based unmanned aviation capability.</p><p>Via <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/news/your-military/2026/08/10/uss-theodore-roosevelt-becomes-first-carrier-with-built-in-unmanned-air-warfare-center/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Defense News</a></p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:676px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:31.51%;"><img id="diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78" name="tr-g_news" alt="Google logo on a black background next to text reading 'Click to follow TechRadar'" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="676" height="213" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div></figure> </article> ]]>