UCLASS

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

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

Navy Cuts Super Hornet Production to Develop Next-Generation Fighter

An F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 41 sits chocked and chained on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) on Aug. 24, 2018. US Navy Photo

THE PENTAGON – The Navy wants to truncate production of the legacy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in favor of pumping money into accelerating the development of its long-gestating next-generation carrier-based fighter program, the service revealed in its Fiscal Year 2021 budget request.

Next...

https://news.usni.org/2020/02/10/navy-cuts-super-hornet-production-to-develop-next-generation-fighter

CNO Gilday: Navy Still Mulling Post-F-35C Aviation Combatant; Could be Mix of Manned, Unmanned Aircraft

A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II, attached to Commander, Joint Strike Fighter Wing, the ‘Argonauts’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, completes a flight over Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Feb. 1, 2019. US Navy Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy is unclear how it will proceed with its next generation of aviation combatants following the introduction of the F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter into the carrier air wing, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said on...

https://news.usni.org/2019/12/05/cno-gilday-navy-still-mulling-post-f-35c-aviation-combatant-could-be-mix-of-manned-unmanned-aircraft

Video: MQ-25A Stingray Makes First Test Flight

Boeing MQ-25A Stingray takes its first flight on Sept. 19, 2019. Boeing Photo

The prototype for the Navy’s first unmanned aerial refueler made its first test flight from an airfield in Illinois, Boeing announced on Thursday.

The MQ-25A Stingray test airframe — T1– flew for two-hours after taking off from the MidAmerica regional airport under the control of Boeing test pilots operating the aircraft from a ground station. The company moved the aircraft there in late April from its aviation...

https://news.usni.org/2019/09/19/video-mq-25a-stingray-makes-first-test-flight

Navy Has No Plans Develop Lethal Carrier UAV Before MQ-25A Hits Flight Decks

X-47B Salty Dog 501 flies over USS Theodore Roosevelt on Aug. 17, 2014. US Naval Institute Photo

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy won’t pursue the development of a lethal carrier-based unmanned aircraft before it fields its unmanned MQ-25A Stingray tanker sometime in the 2020s, the service’s requirements chief said last week.

The service is taking a deliberate approach to adding unmanned aviation assets to carrier decks, ensuring it successfully integrates the MQ-25A into the airwing before it studies...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/22/navy-has-no-plans-develop-lethal-carrier-uav-before-mq-25a-hits-flight-decks

Navy: First MQ-25A Stingray Flight Planned for Later This Year

MQ-25 Stingray. Boeing Photo

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Later this year, Boeing’s prototype for the Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray unmanned aerial tanker will make its first flight from an Illinois airport. When the Stingray will start operating from U.S. carriers is less clear.

On April 28, Boeing moved its MQ-25A prototype from its manufacturing facility near St. Louis, Mo. to the MidAmerica regional airport where it will conduct its first flight later this year, Program Executive Officer for Unmanned...

https://news.usni.org/2019/05/06/navy-first-mq-25a-stingray-flight-planned-for-later-this-year

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