When the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group gets underway this year, 1,600 sailors will embark on the largest volunteer study of crew fatigue to date.
The incident, in which the pilots were safely recovered, marks the third time since December that an F/A-18 assigned to the carrier Truman has been lost.
The service wants CCAs to fly alongside aircraft like the F-35 and F-47, and autonomously carry out missions like airstrikes, recon and serving as decoy.