{"id":46057,"date":"2022-07-27T12:29:42","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:29:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/07\/27\/battle-from-the-skies-how-aviation-advances-empower-the-corps-new-combat-plan\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:10:59","slug":"battle-from-the-skies-how-aviation-advances-empower-the-corps-new-combat-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2022\/07\/27\/battle-from-the-skies-how-aviation-advances-empower-the-corps-new-combat-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle from the skies: How aviation advances empower the Corps\u2019 new combat plan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Marine Corps has been swapping out traditional tools for what some leaders see as a vastly different form of warfare in the coming decades: the Corps has been shedding tanks,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/opinion\/2022\/06\/22\/its-not-too-late-to-salvage-marine-corps-artillery\/\" target=\"_blank\"> \u00adreducing tube artillery<\/a>,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/10\/28\/all-3-marine-law-enforcement-battalions-are-now-deactivated\/\" target=\"_blank\"> cutting law enforcement <\/a>while adding rocket artillery and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/05\/12\/dispersed-more-lethal-what-marine-infantry-battalion-experiments-have-shown-so-far\/\" target=\"_blank\">\u00adtransforming \u00adinfantry-centered regiments.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those changes have rolled through the Corps over the past three years. But the heart of the service\u2019s \u00adsuccess, many current and past leaders say, is its \u00adMarine air-ground task force concept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cair\u201d part has remained in a holding pattern as top aviators rethought how the air side will fit into the new Force Design 2030 plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In early May, the Corps\u2019 top aviators released <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/05\/10\/heres-how-marine-air-power-will-shift-with-the-corps-2022-aviation-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\">the service\u2019s aviation plan<\/a>, its first in nearly three years after what had been an annual report.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/05\/10\/heres-how-marine-air-power-will-shift-with-the-corps-2022-aviation-plan\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/F35B-.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here\u2019s how Marine air power will shift with the Corps\u2019 2022 aviation plan<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">It&#039;s the Corps\u2019 first publicly released aviation plan since 2019.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the work remains the same \u2014 support the MAGTF with aviation for sensing, strike and hauling Marines and their gear around the battlespace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, as Commandant Gen. David Berger signaled in his 2019 planning guidance, significant changes are afoot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marine Corps Times researched key themes in the aviation plan with responses from Marine Corps headquarters and interviews with retired Marine \u00adexperts and a former top aviator, three-star general and prior commander of Combat Development and Integration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The target year, 2030, is fast approaching as the Corps looks to push aviation into the next fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Highlights include exquisite sensor-laden platforms such as the F-35 jet, heavy hauling capabilities in the CH-53K helicopter, long-range fires, sensor and transport support in the KC-130J tanker and a long-overdue step into unmanned platforms that hold great promise for those future operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But questions loom on how the Corps will manage the transition from current aging aircraft such as the F\/A-18 and AV-8 Harrier to newer but fewer replacements, and if the toe-in-the-water approach to drones is enough to get the service where it wants to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cChange is not easy, even if the outcome is of superior quality and abilities,\u201d Maj. Jorge Hernandez, spokesman for the Deputy Commandant of Aviation Lt. Gen. Mark Wise, wrote in an email response. \u201cTo ensure a successful transition of this scale will require an all-hands effort for Marine Corps aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>A Force Design focus<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wise laid out a plan, in a May 2 roundtable with reporters, which his team built to guide the direction of Marine aviation in the coming years. The work \u00adinvolved war games, experimentation and hard thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In each phase of modern warfare, new aviation technology has pushed fliers and flying capabilities into new areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger said so himself in his 2019 planning guidance. He specifically cited experimentation with \u201clethal long-range unmanned systems capable of traveling 200 nautical miles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The top Marine envisions small teams on tiny islands. They\u2019ll sneak around, gather crucial data, pop up to launch an anti-ship missile \u2014 then disappear only to reemerge at another location, gathering and harassing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The aviation role here is under construction as the force experiments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mark Cancian, a retired Marine colonel and senior adviser at the Washington think tank Center for \u00adStrategic and International Studies, sees a reduced aviation footprint in the current plan. Though that coincides with a reduction in the number of infantry battalions that aviation supports, he sees it as disproportionate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEverything is getting smaller as the number of infantry battalions go down,\u201d Cancian said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another retired Marine, Lt. Gen. Bruce Knutson, who spent more than four decades serving the Corps both as an active-duty officer then as an official senior adviser post-retirement, said tinkering with aviation can have an outsized impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"6720\" height=\"4480\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244695.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91986\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244695.jpg.jpg 6720w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244695.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244695.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244695.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244695.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244695.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 6720px) 100vw, 6720px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Navy Seaman Abdoul Abdourahamane, left, and Seaman Dereck Zeigler scan the horizon while serving aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), while underway, May 27, 2022. The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) is conducting routine operations within the U.S. 7th Fleet. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jackson Ricker).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most people, even Marines, don\u2019t understand the role of Marine aviation, he said. It is not a small air force. It is the mobility and striking power of the MAGTF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The air power enables that task force operation, which is how Leathernecks do business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou start taking things away from Marine Corps aviation, it\u2019s a lot more significant, a lot more serious than if you start downsizing a battalion,\u201d Knutson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The retired three-star commanded a then-young Capt. David Berger when the senior Marine headed 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in the early 1990s. He also knows and respects Wise, he said. But he \u00adfundamentally disagrees with the current approach to force design and the warfighting concept it supports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The core of the Corps\u2019 fight is to do long-range reconnaissance and strike with small, disparate units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Marine Corps, I don\u2019t think ought to be in that business,\u201d Knutson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>The transition<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One notable transition that aviation plan authors note themselves is the strain that transitioning from old platforms to new platforms creates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both the technology and the personnel will face such challenges. Wise pointed out in his talk with reporters that the F\/A-18 community provides more than half of all tactical air requirements that the \u00adMarine Corps delivers both for the service and joint commitments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Its replacement is coming, but that takes time. The service is about a third through fielding F-35B fighter jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cStarting to capitalize on this aircraft as more than just a fighter,\u201d Wise said. \u201cIt has a sensor suite that is extraordinary, it\u2019s like nothing we\u2019ve ever had before.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2021\/03\/04\/marine-corps-concludes-final-carrier-deployment-with-fa-18-hornet\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"122\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Hornet-Death-Rattlers.jpeg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Marine Corps concludes final carrier deployment with F\/A-18 Hornet<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The unit will replace the Hornet with the F-35B Lightning II.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hope is that the advanced capabilities will give far more to units that have the F-35 at their back as compared to the decades-old F\/A-18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wise said that F-35B squadrons have been reduced from 16 to 10 aircraft. That shift provides 10 airplanes in the deployment cycle, with two in a backup role and leaves room for maintenance and attrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat is the model that we believe is the right \u00addirection to go for the (Marine Expeditionary Unit),\u201d Wise said. \u201cThat way you\u2019re deploying a whole squadron as well. You\u2019re not leaving pieces behind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s a reference to breaking up squadrons, which can strain support and basing, to meet various area tactical needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But all platforms, especially fighter jets and heavy lift helicopters, Cancian sees problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These aircraft need sophisticated support crews and equipment to remain airborne. Not all of that can be done at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe point I get stuck on is, how are you going to base them?\u201d Cancian said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal is for 18 active and two reserve F-35 squadrons, or a total of 420 advanced fighters. The juggling act will come with moving F\/A-18 and Harrier pilots to the F-35 cockpits and ensuring a steady flow of new F-35 pilots coming into the force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Current F-35s pilot manning sits at about 40%, which parallels with Wise\u2019s one-third fielding \u00adcomment. Current training schedules project<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">500 F-35 pilots on the job (they\u2019ve got 197 pilots now) for a target of 420 aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knutson knows how transitions work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The former aviator entered the Corps in 1969 and retired in 2001. During that time, he started out flying the F-4 Phantom and transitioned to the F\/A-18 in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He agrees that the F-35 \u201cis a whole new game,\u201d for aviation. But there are other considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou could have the 100 best airplanes in the world but have requirements to be in 200 \u00addifferent places, then they don\u2019t have enough airplanes,\u201d Knutson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those transitions, all admit, create strain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYou continue to tax and use the community a lot and cut back on funding\u2026you have the potential for both stress and danger,\u201d Cancian said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Vertical lift &amp; long-range support<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the close fight, Marines long have relied on helicopters or other vertical lift forms like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/07\/20\/video-of-fatal-2017-marine-osprey-crash-shows-final-moments-before-landing-went-horribly-wrong\/\" target=\"_blank\">MV-22 Osprey.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The aviation plan calls for a cut to the Osprey fleet. Instead of 14 squadrons of a dozen aircraft each, their new plan calls for 16 squadrons of 10 aircraft each. The shift removes eight Ospreys from the total aircraft fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knutson said the Osprey provided \u00adpreviously \u00adunheard-of operational depth to MAGTF \u00adcommanders, multiplying the distance from about 30 miles to more than 200 miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe cut the MV-22, we\u2019re cutting at the heart of maneuverability,\u201d Knutson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decrease of 24 to 21 infantry battalions is a drop of about 13%, Cancian said. The light \u00adhelicopter attack squadron reduction, as one example, nearly double at nearly 23%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think that short-range helicopters just don\u2019t fit this new version of the Marine Corps,\u201d Cancian said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"6720\" height=\"4480\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244697.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-91989\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244697.jpg.jpg 6720w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244697.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244697.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244697.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244697.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7244697.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 6720px) 100vw, 6720px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 prepare for flight aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), while underway, May 27, 2022. Marines with VMFA-121, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, are conducting flight operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Jackson Ricker)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s because of the range. Distances in the Pacific, especially puncturing the weapons reach of China, are farther than those aircraft can fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked about potential gaps in rotary wing capacities, Hernandez responded that the Corps would continue upgrades to existing platforms and others to fill the needs that these platforms provide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis is a multi-prong approach in leveraging the myriad capabilities Marine Corps aviation provides the MAGTF,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Unmanned Future<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To cover the tactical support, sensor, strike assault and hauling, the Corps leans hard on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/07\/18\/marine-corps-wants-to-test-out-attritable-partner-drones-new-mq-9-payloads\/\" target=\"_blank\">unmanned assets. <\/a>But there\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRight now, the Marine Corps planes for \u00adunmanned is incomplete and quite inadequate,\u201d he said. \u201cI keep beating up the Marine Corps about the small size of its UAV fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The leap-ahead answer was the MAGTF \u00adunmanned aerial system expeditionary, or MUX. This high-level, ship-based, do-it-all drone would have run nearly the whole battle space, serving as a node to link all fires to the fingertips of a single Marine on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It would have given advanced sensor, electronic warfare and a host of other options, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Congress balked at the project. Instead, the Marines did what Marines do \u2014 found a cheaper entry point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That meant acquiring the MQ-9 Reaper drone: a big advance for Marines but old news for the rest of the services. The platform has been running since 2001. As of April, Jarheads had two MQ-9s in the fleet. The goal is to field 18 MQ-9s by 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s more than two. But, as Cancian\u2019s analysis in published reports shows the Army has 201 Group 5 drones while the Air Force sports 351.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey are way behind and have no plan to catch up,\u201d Cancian said. \u201cThis is a minimalist approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Berger\u2019s plan calls for as much as 40% of all Marine aviation to be unmanned in the coming decade, Cancian said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These moves won\u2019t get the Corps where it wants to go fast enough, both Cancian and Knutson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf they want to continue down this road, they ought to do an appraisal, full court press, we need a crash course, we need to get into UAVs and we need to do it in a hurry,\u201d said Knutson.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2022\/07\/18\/marine-corps-wants-to-test-out-attritable-partner-drones-new-mq-9-payloads\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/reaper.jpg_dc985c.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Marine Corps wants to test out partner drones, new MQ-9 Reaper payloads<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Marine Corps wants to increase its rapid prototyping fund by nearly a factor of six in 2023.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But aviation leaders are cool to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wise and his staff explained that the MQ-9 is far from the end state. In fact, they\u2019re developing capabilities, such as electronic warfare, on the \u00adplatform but independently. That way, the advancements can fit onto whatever flies them in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hernandez\u2019 response to Marine Corps Times noted that MQ-9 experimentation begins in fiscal year 2023. Areas include using the platform as a \u201cnetwork gateway\u201d to pass information, airborne early warning, autonomous takeoff, landing and hazard avoidance as well as cyber-secure C2 data links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, they\u2019re still pursuing MUX, just not with a nice, new platform \u2026 yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Opening photo by Lance Cpl. 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