It's a first for the United States Navy and it happens in Jacksonville.
Naval Air Station Jax is the new home to a unique type of pilot and aircraft.
In a ceremony at the base this morning, Commander Benjamin Stinespring became the first commanding officer of Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19.
They are the Navy's first squadron made up of MQ-4C Triton planes, made by Northrup Grumman and designed to fly remotely with no pilots - or anyone else - inside.
"Today's a historic day for naval aviation," Steinspring added. "[Unmanned aircraft] is the way of the future and the Triton is the epitome of that."
Captain Anthony Corapi says the Tritons have a roughly 130-foot wingspan - the same as a Boeing 757 but with a much smaller fuselage - and will be used for surveillance missions around the globe, gathering all kinds of data the military deems relevant.
"This aircraft flies upwards of 24 hours per mission," Corapi stated. "It will have a long 'stare', meaning it will look down at an area and collect information on what's in that area."
Corapi says the Triton will make use of its long wingspan by flying as high as 60,000 feet above sea level, essentially making it a low earth-orbiting satellite for as long as it remains in the air.
"We've had remotely piloted vehicles in the Navy for a while, but we've never had a squadron dedicated to just that." Corapi added. "This is the first time we're doing it. It's groundbreaking. This is the future."
The Triton will often work alongside the P-8A Poseidon, a more traditional type of aircraft that will be able to use the data gathered by the Triton for all kinds of military operations, including search and rescue. Many of the crews flying the Poseidons will also be trained to remotely fly the Tritons.
The Navy plans to stash Tritons around the globe to make better use of its capabilities, meaning that NAS Jax itself won't often see an actual Triton. However, a good chunk of the 500-plus members of the squadron will be living in Jacksonville, including those who will fly the plane remotely since the command and control features will be on base.
"It will be new for us culturally for sure," Steinspring stated. "Ultimately, it's going to really increase val Stathe potential of what we can provide as a patrol force."
There's a little over 70 squadron members in Jacksonville right now, but Stinespring expects that number to grow north of 200 by the time the squadron becomes fully operational in 2018. Other members of the squadron will be based in California.