WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the U.S. Navy prepares to decide where to base its new squadron of unmanned aerial surveillance drones, it announced this week that it has narrowed the search to three possible locations -- two in Florida and one in Virginia.
The three sites the Navy is considering are: Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Naval Air Station Key West in the Florida Keys and the NASA Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on Friday to outline why he thinks Florida is the best choice for the new squadron.
In his letter to Mabus, Nelson cited the state’s proximity to both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea and the ongoing unmanned aircraft operations already being performed there as reasons why one of the two Florida bases should be chosen.
The Navy’s MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial vehicle is capable of flying for more than 24 hours at a time and surveying over 2.7 million square miles in a single mission. It’s used to provide sailors and Naval officers with real-time intelligence and surveillance, as well as assist in maritime search and rescue operations.
In addition to eight Triton drones, up to 400 sailors and their families would also be stationed at the Navy’s selected location.