Boeing has received a $480,000 study contract from the U.S. Navy to support pre-Milestone A activities including development of a concept of operations, an analysis of alternatives, and an investigation of potential material solutions for the Navy's Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program.

"The Navy wants UCLASS in the fleet in 2018," said Jimmy Dodd, vice president, Advanced Boeing Military Aircraft.

"Boeing has been delivering carrier-based aircraft to the Navy since 1925. With Boeing's broad experience in unmanned systems and rapid prototyping, and nearly 90 years of carrier-based aircraft know-how, we are prepared to meet that schedule to support the mission and requirements the Navy establishes. This contract is the start of that."

The UCLASS system will consist of an air segment, a connectivity and control segment, a Carrier Vessel-Nuclear (CVN) segment (launch and recovery), and a systems support segment.

The work on the eight-month contract, according to the Navy's Broad Agency Announcement, will conceptually demonstrate that a UCLASS system can provide a persistent CVN-based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance and strike capability supporting carrier air wing operations in the 2018 time frame.