General Atomics

VIDEO: Navy Wraps Up MQ-25A Deck Handling Tests on Carrier USS George H.W. Bush

A Boeing unmanned MQ-25 aircraft is given operating directions on the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) on Dec. 13, 2021 in the Atlantic Ocean. U.S. Navy Photo

The prototype for the Navy’s unmanned refueling tanker has wrapped up deck handling tests aboard an aircraft carrier off the East Coast

The service performed tests of the T-1 prototype aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) to assess how the aircraft functioned aboard the flight deck in winds of more than...

https://news.usni.org/2021/12/22/video-navy-wraps-up-mq-25a-deck-handling-tests-on-carrier-uss-george-h-w-bush

MQ-25A Unmanned Prototype Now on Carrier George H.W. Bush for At-Sea Testing

MQ-25A being lifted aboard carrier USS George H.W. BUsh (CVN-77) on Nov 30, 2021. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The prototype for the Navy’s unmanned refueling tanker is now aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier ahead of at-sea testing.

Rear Adm. Andrew Loiselle, who leads the chief of naval operation’s air warfare directorate (OPNAV N98), told USNI News in a recent interview that as of Tuesday, the T-1 prototype is aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) for the ship’s carrier qualifications.

The...

https://news.usni.org/2021/12/02/mq-25a-unmanned-prototype-now-on-carrier-george-h-w-bush-for-at-sea-testing

Navy Weighing How to Include More Capabilities on MQ-25A Beyond Tanking

The MQ-25 T1 test asset refuels the Navy F/A-18 during a flight June 4 at MidAmerica Airport in Illinois. Boeing Photo

Lawmakers are asking the Navy to start adding capabilities to the emerging MQ-25A Stingray unmanned carrier tankers that are set to join the fleet in the next few years, service officials said.

While lawmakers have pushed the service to slow down their planned unmanned surface vessels with a series of land-based testing sites, the opposite is true for unmanned aviation, deputy...

https://news.usni.org/2021/06/15/navy-weighing-how-to-include-more-capabilities-on-mq-25a-beyond-tanking

MQ-25A Unmanned Aerial Tanker Refuels F/A-18 Hornet in Successful First Test

MQ-25 T1 test asset refuels a Navy F/A-18 during a flight on June 4,2021 at MidAmerica Airport in Illinois. This flight demonstrated that the MQ-25 Stingray can fulfill its tanker mission using the Navy’s standard probe-and-drogue aerial refueling method. Boeing Photo

A prototype unmanned aerial tanker refueled a F/A-18 Hornet fighter last week in a first of its kind test ahead of introducing drones to the Navy’s carrier flight decks, Naval Air Systems Command and Boeing announced on Friday.

The...

https://news.usni.org/2021/06/07/mq-25a-unmanned-aerial-tanker-refuels-f-a-18-hornet-in-successful-first-test

VIDEO: MQ-25A Stingray Prototype Makes First Flight With Aerial Refueling Stores

Boeing tested MQ-25A T1 prototype with a an aerial refueling store (ARS) on Dec. 9, 2020. Boeing Photo

Boeing’s prototype for its naval unmanned aerial tanker proved this week it can operate with the refueling system that will give gas to the carrier air wing, the company announced.

Taking off from the company’s test site at the MidAmerica Airport in Illinois near St. Louis, Mo., the MQ-25A Stingray prototype flew for two and a half hours with an aerial refueling store (ARS) slung under its wing.

“...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/10/video-mq-25a-stingray-prototype-makes-first-flight-with-aerial-refueling-stores

CNO Gilday: Navy Needs ‘Fundamental Change’ in How it Develops Fighters

An F/A-18 Super Hornet, attached to embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, breaks the sound barrier during an air power demonstration, showcasing firepower capability and maneuverability while at sea in the Indo-Pacific region in 2020. US Navy Photo

A decade from now, the backbone of the Navy’s tactical air fleet will begin to retire with no clear successor in line yet.

Earlier this year, the service signaled the end of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet program and zeroed out the production line past 2021...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/09/cno-gilday-navy-needs-fundamental-change-in-how-it-develops-fighters

$600M Maritime Drone Sale to Taiwan Approved by State Dept.; Beijing Complains

Artist’s concept of an MQ-9B-SeaGuardian. General Atomics Image

The State Department has given approval to a new arms sale package to Taiwan that includes four unmanned maritime patrol aircraft based on the MQ-9 Reaper platform, according to a Tuesday announcement from Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

The potential sale of the “weapons-ready” General Atomic SeaGuardian MQ-9Bs will include maritime radars, data links, ground stations, engines and spares to sustain the aircraft, according to...

https://news.usni.org/2020/11/04/600m-maritime-drone-sale-to-taiwan-approved-by-state-dept-beijing-complains

Introduction to the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance Program

The following is the Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Air Force Next-Generation Air Dominance Program: An Introduction.

From the report

On September 15, 2020, U.S. Air Force acquisition executive Dr. Will Roper announced that the Air Force had flown a full-scale flight demonstrator as part of the Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program.
The announcement came as a surprise to many observers, both as the NGAD program was believed to be an early-phase technology development...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/06/introduction-to-the-air-forces-next-generation-air-dominance-program

Navy Quietly Starts Development of Next-Generation Carrier Fighter; Plans Call for Manned, Long-Range Aircraft

An F/A-18E Super Hornet, assigned to the “’olden Warriors’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 87, launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on May 26, 2020. US Navy Photo

After nearly a decade of fits and starts, the Navy has quietly initiated work to develop its first new carrier-based fighter in almost 20 years, standing up a new program office and holding early discussions with industry, USNI News has learned.

The multi-billion-dollar effort to replace...

Navy Folding MQ-25A Tanker into Larger Unmanned Campaign; Test Flights to Resume This Summer

Tests of Boeing’s MQ-25A Stringray prototype in St. Louis. Boeing Image

The first unmanned tanker to operate from an aircraft carrier is set to be the first major program in the Navy’s emerging unmanned campaign plan, the service’s top acquisition officer told reporters on Thursday.

The Boeing-built MQ-25A Stingray will be a key element in the Navy’s early iterations of its unmanned campaign plan – the latest direction on how the service’s developing unmanned aerial, surface and undersea...

https://news.usni.org/2020/07/30/navy-folding-mq-25a-tanker-into-larger-unmanned-campaign-test-flights-to-resume-this-summer

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