Drone carrier

A drone carrier is a crewed or uncrewed ship equipped with a flight deck on which unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) can take off and land. In addition to unmanned aerial vehicles, a drone carrier can also launch unmanned underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles. On 10 April 2023, the Turkish Naval Forces commissioned the world's first flight deck-based specialized military drone carrier, the TCG Anadolu, beginning the new era of the drone carriers.

Drone carriers can be used for both civilian and (more commonly) military purposes. As a naval vessel, a drone carrier enables a fleet the ability to launch and retrieve combat drones (UCAVs) without the need for the larger aircraft carriers. In March 2013, DARPA began efforts to develop a fleet of small naval vessels capable of conducting drone warfare without the need for large and expensive carrier strike groups.

In November 2014, US DoD made an open request for ideas on how to build an airborne aircraft carrier that can launch and retrieve drones using existing military aircraft such as the B-1B, B-52 or C-130.

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