The MQ-25 heavy drones are taken over by the US Navy
Boeing has delivered the first MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueling drone to the US Navy for testing. This is the first delivery of a $13 billion order.
It will undergo a “rigorous airframe integrity assessment,” Boeing said on X.
Production delays pushed the carrier-based aircraft's initial operational capability (IOC) by a year to 2026. The Pentagon had planned to declare IOC without the necessary developmental tests and evaluations.
However, the Office of the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense reported the problem of lack of official approval for which the tests began.
The IOC allows low-rate production of the aircraft and authorizes it for limited operations. So the next step will be to see these multi-role drones, real flight companions, operate from aircraft carriers.
MQ-25 with folded wings on an aircraft carrier
We've delivered the first US Navy MQ-25 Stingray for testing. The unmanned carrier-based refueler will now undergo a rigorous airframe integrity evaluation.
Once operational, #MQ25 will extend the range and capability of the @USNavy 's air wing. pic.twitter.com/vbzySkoCRb
— Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) February 21, 2024
Urgent need to replace F/A-18s
The MQ-25 is urgently needed by the fleet, especially to relieve F/A-18 fighters from their refueling role and for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The F/A 18, even in the most updated Super Hornet version, is now an outdated aircraft, but replacements are expensive or not always adequate, and we are talking about the F 35C.
Its greater ability to carry fuel longer distances than the F/A-18 will improve the range of the Navy's transport aircraft, reducing costs and improving readiness. The range of action of these vehicles is over 930 km and they can act as refuelers, as reconnaissance vehicles or even as attack vehicles, with the two attack points under the wings.
The drone has already been tested in its innovative in-flight refueling function with both the F/A 18, the E-3 Sentry and the F 35.
The service intends to have a fleet of 73 Stingrays, 72 for use and the 73rd as a test for the airframe.
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The article MQ-25 heavy drones are taken over by the US Navy comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/i-droni-pesanti-mq-25-vengono-presi-in-carico-dalla-marina-usa/ on Sat, 24 Feb 2024 07:00:17 +0000.