Frequentis lands US Navy refueling drone mission control system contract

Communication and information solutions provider Frequentis has secured a US Navy contract for work on the system that will be in charge of allowing operators to control unmanned aerial systems from aircraft carriers.

US Navy file photo of an MQ-25

More specifically, Frequentis has been tapped to provide the IP-based voice communications system for Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System (UMCS) MD-5 control station.

The awarded contract is in support of the MQ-25A program that will develop the US Navy’s first carrier-based unmanned aerial refueling aircraft.

UMCS is the system-of-systems required to control the MQ-25A air vehicle. In 2018, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) became the first US Navy aircraft carrier to be fitted with a carrier-based Unmanned Aviation Warfare Center (UAWC) that features the MD-5 control station.

“The Frequentis ICS-C2 solution provides integration into an IP infrastructure and meets both security and safety requirements for mission-critical tactical and operational command and control,” said John Wherry, Frequentis Vice President Defense Solutions.

The company is expected to be complete work on the contract in March 2021.