Navy Wants Unmanned Fighters That Can Trap Aboard a Carrier

The U.S. Navy has issued a request for information on an autonomous combat aircraft designed to operate from a flight deck alongside its manned fighter squadrons. The program calls for two prototype airframes built to handle catapult launches and arrested landings, the same launch-and-recovery cycle every carrier aviator trains to fly. Specifications call for an external weapons payload of up to 10,000 pounds, putting the aircraft's strike capacity within range of crewed tactical jets currently flying off the deck.

With reporting from AVweb.