PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The Navy and Marine Corps Small Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems program office at Naval Air Station Patuxent River announced that its Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Services UAS fleet surpassed one million flight hours worldwide.
Sailors operating from a ship in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of responsibility recorded the milestone hour during a routine mission. The ISR Services program, managed by PMA-263, provides persistent day-and-night surveillance support to deployed naval forces and land-based units.
Since launching in 2005, the program has completed more than 50 permanent UAS installations aboard Navy warships and Military Sealift Command vessels. Detachments have also operated from more than 50 land sites across multiple continents.
The small UAS currently support ships and units in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Fleet areas while delivering similar capabilities to Marine Corps and joint force commanders ashore.
“Every hour flown represents more than mission success – it reflects the resilience of our people, the trust of our partners and the impact we’ve had on history,” said Gregg Skinner, PMA-263 program manager. “Together, we’ve supported operations in every corner of the globe, advanced unmanned systems into the fight, and stood ready in times of uncertainty.”
More than a dozen surface combatants and amphibious ships now carry the ISR Services package. The current inventory includes the Boeing Insitu MQ-27 ScanEagle and Textron MQ-19 Aerosonde platforms, both launched and recovered using shipboard skyhook systems that require minimal deck space.
These aircraft stream full-motion video and sensor data directly to watch floors aboard ship and to reach-back intelligence centers. The real-time information supports maritime domain awareness, force protection, search and rescue, and overwatch for boarding teams and special operations forces.
PMA-263, headquartered at NAS Patuxent River in St. Mary’s County, oversees the full lifecycle of small tactical UAS for the Navy, Marine Corps, and select international partners. The program office also runs operator and maintainer training pipelines used by all services.
The one-million-hour mark comes as the naval aviation enterprise transitions toward newer unmanned platforms while sustaining the proven ScanEagle and Aerosonde systems that have flown combat and contingency missions for two decades.
NAS Patuxent River serves as the Navy’s principal research, development, test, and evaluation center for naval aviation programs. PMA-263 shares the base with dozens of other program offices and the Naval Test Wing Atlantic complex.
