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.

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.