GAO’s report on UCLASS

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published its annual report on the U.S. Navy’s Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program as authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014.

US Navy's X-47B, AV-2, Bureau # 168064, of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Two Three (VX-23), conduct Air-to-Air Refueling (AAR) over the Chesapeake Bay on 16 April 2015.  VX-23 is part of the Naval Test Wing Atlantic in Naval Air Station Patuxent River,
Photo: U.S. Navy

By analyzing the DOD budget for FY 2017 and speaking to program officials, the GAO found that the U.S. Navy had started to develop modifications to existing shipboard systems to support the UCLASS’ latest iteration – Carrier Based Aerial Refueling System (CBARS).

Prototype control stations are being developed as well.