UCLASS Could Be Used as Tanker for Carrier Air Wing

The U.S. Navy is considering using its forthcoming Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) aircraft as an aerial refueling tanker to free up its fleet of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for more strike missions, several sources told USNI News.

“It’s definitely of interest,” one industry official said. “On a typical air operations day, they might have to dedicate up to five Hornets to do tanking.”

Most of those tanker sorties are for “recovery tanking” around the carrier.

Read more