The U.S. Navy has designated a new squadron tasked to test and evaluate unmanned aircraft systems for the service branch and the U.S. Marine Corps, with Cmdr. Matthew Densing serving as leader.The commissioning of the new unit, named Air Test and Evaluation Squadron or UX 24, took place Thursday at Naval Air Station Patuxent River’s Webster Outlying Field, the Navy said Monday.
UX 24’s operations will leverage more than 23 UAS units including MQ-8 Fire Scouts, RQ-20 Pumas, RQ-21 Blackjacks and commercially sold systems.
“As the Navy continues to require the broad range of capability offered by UAS, UX-24 will always challenge the status quo,” said Densing, who formerly led the Navy’s UAS Test Directorate, UX 24’s predecessor.
Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, approved the directorate’s transition to UX-24 to support research, development, test and evaluation for UAS used in the Department of the Navy‘s forces.
