On 13 August 2026 Stavatti Aerospace Ltd submitted a response to the U.S. Navy Sources Sought/ Request for Information for Unmanned Carrier-Based Aircraft Solutions, Notice ID PAEA-UnmannedStratSS, issued by the Portfolio Acquisition Executive (Aviation), PAE(A).
The Stavatti response presents a modular family of carrier-suitable unpiloted aircraft derived from four Stavatti designs now under development as independent research and development initiatives: the SM-28U Machete unpiloted Close Air Support and Attack Aircraft; the SM-31U Stiletto unpiloted Collaborative Combat Aircraft and Light Fighter; the SM-36U Stalma unpiloted Multi-Role Fighter; and the SM-39U Razor unpiloted Air Dominance and Carrier Air Defense Fighter.
This family approach is intended to give the Navy a scalable mix of affordable aircraft and higher-end unpiloted combat capability. The SM-28U and SM-31U emphasize lower unit cost, mission persistence, and risk-tolerant combat capacity.
The SM-36U and SM-39U provide growth paths into higher payload, higher-energy multi-role and air-dominance missions. Unpiloted variants preserve the performance, general dimensions, and development-cost metrics of the corresponding piloted aircraft while using cockpit and crew-systems volume for increased internal fuel, weapons, sensors, or ammunition capacity.
All four U-variants are proposed as carrier-suitable designs with folding or swing wings, carrier-suitable landing gear with nose-gear catapult tow-bar provisions, and deployable arresting hooks for operations from Nimitz-class and Ford-class nuclear aircraft carriers. The family shares a common multi-layer autonomy architecture aligned with Autonomy Government Reference Architecture, Open Mission Systems, and Modular Open Systems Approach principles, and is intended for integration with Navy Unmanned Carrier Aviation control systems under human supervisory control of lethal force.
Stavatti’s submission is consistent with the Navy’s stated interest in speed-to-fleet solutions supporting the Naval Aviation Enterprise Air Wing of the Future Family of Systems strategy and the Golden Fleet initiative. Stavatti is prepared to engage in further technical interchange with PAE(A) and Navy Unmanned Carrier Aviation stakeholders as the Navy continues market research and acquisition planning.
Confirmation of receipt of Stavatti’s on-time submission was provided by NAVAIR Contract Specialist, Samantha Moore.