Military, Unmanned

US Navy Sinks Unmanned Systems Office, Rethinks Approach

By Rich Abbott | May 22, 2018
Send Feedback

130521-O-ZZ999-111 PALMDALE, Calif. (May 21, 2013) Two Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicles are seen on the tarmac at a Northrop Grumman test facility in Palmdale, Calif. Triton is undergoing flight testing as an unmanned maritime surveillance vehicle. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman by Chad Slattery/Released)

Two Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Tritons being tested as unmanned maritime surveillance drones for the Navy. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy has disestablished the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Unmanned Systems (DASN UxS) a mere two and a half years after standing it up in October 2015.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition (ASN RDA) James Geurts marked DASN UxS as disestablished effective May 7, according to a memo. The personnel, programs, and projects under the office will transition to the appropriate product DASNs.

Geurts wrote that the successful completion and submission of the Navy’s comprehensive Unmanned Systems Roadmap to Congress marks the completion of the initial task the department received from a Nov. 13, 2017, Secretary of the Navy memo, “Treat Unmanned as Unmanned (TUAU).”

That memo noted unmanned systems are inherently different from manned counterparts and said the Navy would accelerate the development and fielding of unmanned systems by identifying manned system requirements relevant to the development of unmanned systems, publish a Navy Department roadmap for unmanned systems and develop “aggressive goals” for the acceleration of the service’s unmanned systems.

Finish reading this story at Defense Daily.

Receive the latest avionics news right to your inbox