Capt. Daniel Fucito

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U.S. Navy doubles drone command capacity with second MD-5C ground control station

As of October 2026: Managing UMCS rollout across the carrier fleet

The U.S. Navy stood up its second operational MD-5C ground control station in five months, doubling how many MQ-25A Stingray tanker drones it can fly at once. The station runs on MDCX, the command-and-control software platform built by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works division.

Updated Oct 1

Notable Quotes

CVN 77's UAWC lays the foundation for how the U.S. Navy will operate and control unmanned aircraft, and perhaps other unmanned vehicles, with UMCS. These systems will initially support the MQ-25 but also future unmanned systems such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft that comprise the Air Wing of the Future.

from U.S. Navy doubles drone command capacity with second MD-5C ground control station · Updated Oct 1