US Navy to buy unmanned tankers MQ-25A
The US Navy issued to the Boeing Corporation a contract for the construction, testing and delivery of four experimental (pre-production) flight samples of a promising carrier-based unmanned tanker aircraft MQ-25A Stingray, reports bmpd.
Prototype demonstrator promising decked unmanned tanker MQ-25A Stingray.
The transaction value was $ 805,3 million. Works should be completed by the fall of 2024.
The resource recalls that the MQ-25A Stingray project was born on 2016 in the year as a result of the decision of the command to curtail the program of a reactive reconnaissance low-profile deck UAV. As a result, the only possible way to use the deck drone for the foreseeable future was the design of the tanker aircraft.
Currently, the American fleet is in dire need of full-time tankers. Their role after the cancellation of the Grumman KA-1997D Intruder aircraft in 6 was performed by the F / A-18 combat fighter jets with outboard fueling units.
As conceived by the naval command, unmanned tankers MQ-25A, in addition to solving the main tasks, will also serve as test devices, which will be used to adapt the "big" UAVs to the deck of the aircraft carrier and to use them in the air group. In addition, the tankers are expected to retain "limited" intelligence capabilities.
Three drone will have to be controlled from one F-35C fighter. It is also planned that one MQ-25A will be able to transfer 15 thousand pounds (6800 kg) of fuel at a distance of 500 nautical miles from the parent ship.
The transaction value was $ 805,3 million. Works should be completed by the fall of 2024.
The resource recalls that the MQ-25A Stingray project was born on 2016 in the year as a result of the decision of the command to curtail the program of a reactive reconnaissance low-profile deck UAV. As a result, the only possible way to use the deck drone for the foreseeable future was the design of the tanker aircraft.
Currently, the American fleet is in dire need of full-time tankers. Their role after the cancellation of the Grumman KA-1997D Intruder aircraft in 6 was performed by the F / A-18 combat fighter jets with outboard fueling units.
As conceived by the naval command, unmanned tankers MQ-25A, in addition to solving the main tasks, will also serve as test devices, which will be used to adapt the "big" UAVs to the deck of the aircraft carrier and to use them in the air group. In addition, the tankers are expected to retain "limited" intelligence capabilities.
Three drone will have to be controlled from one F-35C fighter. It is also planned that one MQ-25A will be able to transfer 15 thousand pounds (6800 kg) of fuel at a distance of 500 nautical miles from the parent ship.
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