US Navy establishes first UAV squadron

The US Navy will establish Test and Evaluation Squadron 24 (UX24) in October this year to develop unmanned aircraft systems (UAVs) for the service. The UX24 command will be located in Maryland, US and under the control of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR),Navy Timesreport

UX24 will be the first dedicated UAV squadron in the history of the US Navy. This force applied drones into combat operations much later than the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the US Air Force.

The Pentagon is expected to sign a contract to build the MQ-25A Stingray ship-based refueling drone by mid-year. This is the first UAV model built specifically for the US Navy, requiring a multi-year testing process. The establishment of UX24 will help the US Navy develop a plan to operate aircraft like the MQ-25A in the future.

Another reason is believed to be that the US Navy is about to receive a large number of MQ-1 Predator drones that have been retired by the US Air Force, requiring a separate squadron to operate and maintain this type of aircraft.