Pentagon budget 2024: US Navy emphasises RCOH changes for Nimitz carriers

Aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis will not be getting an Unmanned Aviation Warfare Center during its overhaul. (US Navy)

The proposed Unmanned Aviation Warfare Center (UAWC) for the MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) slated for aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and other Nimitz-class ships is no longer part of the Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) for USS John C Stennis (CVN 74), according to recently released fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget proposal documents.

Referring to the UAWC RCOH work, the FY 2024 documents noted, “CVN 74 programme [is] cancelled and will not be installed on USS John C Stennis (CVN 74) during RCOH.”

The budget proposal documents also noted the overhaul installation of the Aircraft Electrical Service Station (AESS), which supports the F-35 Joint Strike Fighters' (JSFs') electrical requirements.

“They require 270 VDC electrical power for maintenance and pre-flight operations,” the documents noted. “This type of power is not currently available on CVN 68-class aircraft carriers. This ship alteration will equip CVN 68-class ships with a dual purpose AESS station providing either 90kVA of 115 V AC, 400 Hz power for the Advanced Hawkeye (E-2D) , and all legacy aircraft, or 70 kW of 270 V DC electrical power for the JSF (F-35). This upgrade will replace the obsolete components now part of the AESS with a quiet, lightweight, low-cost, dual-purpose system that decreases maintenance costs and improves habitability.”