Defense News reports that the Pentagon has decided that the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) is to be a dedicated aerial refueling tanker for the aircraft carriers.
Photo: U.S. Navy
The Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) program will have limited intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, several sources told the publication.
The new path is expected to create tensions between the Pentagon and Congress as House and Senate members had previously advocated for a long-range strike aircraft for the UCLASS program.