U.S. Navy installs second Lockheed Martin drone control station

The U.S. Navy has installed a second MD-5C Ground Control Station (GCS) aboard a carrier aircraft, doubling its capacity to operate the MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aircraft system (UAS) over a five-month period, according to a statement from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT).

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) received the first operational MD-5C in March 2026, followed by USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) in August 2026. Both stations are powered by Lockheed Martin Skunk Works' MDCX autonomy platform, which serves as the mission planning and execution software enabling Navy operators to command and control the MQ-25A Stingray.

The MD-5C is installed within the Unmanned Air Warfare Center (UAWC), described as the dedicated onboard command center for unmanned carrier aviation. The system combines a government Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence network with Lockheed Martin's MDCX software and hardware, along with additional government-produced equipment.

"These two operational unmanned air warfare centers aboard CVN 71 and CVN 76 bring us closer to integrating unmanned carrier aviation into the fleet," said Capt. Daniel Fucito, PMA-268 program manager.

Ben Tongue, MDCX Program Manager at Lockheed Martin, said the platform has doubled the number of U.S. Navy carriers ready to fly the MQ-25A Stingray in five months.

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