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Boeing MQ-25 Stingray

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MQ-25 Stingray
MQ-25 Stingray during testing
Role Unmanned combat aerial vehicle for aerial refueling
National origin United States
Manufacturer Boeing
First flight 19 September 2019
Status In development
Primary user United States Navy

The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray is an aerial refueling drone that resulted from the Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS) program, which grew out of the earlier Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program. The MQ-25 first flew on 19 September 2019.

Development

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Background

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Main article: Unmanned Carrier-Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike

The United States Navy began its efforts to develop an aircraft carrier-based UAV in 2006. The original UCLASS concept was for a stealthy strike platform capable of penetrating enemy air defenses. In 2012, lethality and strike requirements were diluted in order to create an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)-oriented aircraft that could be developed quickly to conduct low-intensity counter-terrorism missions.[1]

On 1 February 2016, after delays over whether the UCLASS would specialize in strike or ISR roles, it was reported that significant priority would be given to producing a Super Hornet-sized carrier-based aerial refueling tanker as the Carrier-Based Aerial-Refueling System (CBARS), with "a little ISR" and some capabilities for communications relay, and strike capabilities put off to a future variant.[2] The Pentagon apparently made this program change to address the Navy's expected fighter shortfall by directing funds to buy more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and accelerate purchases of the F-35C. Having the CBARS as the first carrier-based UAV provides a less complex bridge to the future F/A-XX, should it be an unmanned strike platform. It also addresses the carriers' need for an organic refueling aircraft, proposed for the UCLASS since 2014, freeing up the 20–30 percent of Super Hornets performing the mission in a more capable and cost effective manner than modifying the F-35, V-22 Osprey, and E-2D Hawkeye, or returning the retired S-3 Viking to service.[2][3][4]

Four development contracts were issued in 2016, with a formal RFP expected in 2017, with operational status in the early to mid-2020s.[5][6] In July 2016, it was officially named "MQ-25A Stingray" after being named RAQ-25A previously.[7]

Rear Adm. Michael Manazir has suggested that three of these UCAVs could fly with an F-35 for refueling and sensor operation.[8] Vice Adm. Mike Shoemaker said that the MQ-25 can extend the Super Hornet's 450 nmi (520 mi; 830 km) unrefueled combat radius to beyond 700 nmi (810 mi; 1,300 km). The Navy's goal for the aircraft is to be able to deliver 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) of fuel total to 4 to 6 airplanes at a range of 500 nmi (580 mi; 930 km).[9] The Navy released the final MQ-25 Stingray request for proposals in October 2017 to Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and General Atomics.[10]

Selection

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Boeing secretly finished building its wing-body-tail in 2014 when the UCLASS program was paused, and revived it for the CBARS mission.[11] On 19 December 2017, Boeing unveiled its prototype aircraft entrant that incorporated lessons learned from the Boeing Phantom Ray flying wing and its other unmanned aerial systems.[12] Boeing's MQ-25 design is not new for the tanking mission, but Boeing says that was considered when designing it.[11]

General Atomics proposed their Sea Avenger concept which was enlarged from its Predator-C/Avenger for refueling,[13] while Lockheed Martin proposed their Sea Ghost concept based on the RQ-170 Sentinel.[14]

Northrop Grumman announced on 25 October 2017 that it was withdrawing its X-47B from the MQ-25 competition, saying the company would have been unable to execute the program under the terms of the service's request for proposals.[15] The company's departure signaled to some analysts that the Navy's requirements could favor wing-body-tail designs, not the flying wings thought to be proposed by Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin.[12]

MQ-25 deck handling demonstration, 2018

On 30 August 2018, the U.S. Navy announced Boeing as the winner of the competition and awarded an $805 million development contract for four MQ-25A aircraft to be completed by August 2024.[1] An additional three test MQ-25As were ordered on 2 April 2020 for a current total order of seven.[16] The program may expand to $13 billion overall and consist of 72 aircraft.[17]

Flight testing

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MQ-25 T1 Stingray test aircraft refuels F-35C, 2021

In late April 2019, the first MQ-25 test aircraft (T-1 or "Tail 1") was taken by road from Boeing's technical plant at St. Louis's Lambert International Airport across the Mississippi River to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, which is conjoined to Scott Air Force Base.[18] Following taxi tests, the Federal Aviation Administration certified the aircraft and granted airspace for flight testing. The MQ-25 took its first flight on 19 September 2019.[19]

In December 2020, Boeing released video showing the first flight of the MQ-25 with a Cobham aerial refueling store externally mounted.[20]

MQ-25 T1 Stingray test aircraft takes off, 2021
MQ-25 T1 on aboard USS George H.W. Bush 2021

On 4 June 2021, the first refueling test was conducted, with the MQ-25 providing fuel to an F/A-18F Super Hornet. The MQ-25 originated at MidAmerica Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, with support by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-23. The mission lasted about 4.5 hours with the two aircraft performing numerous dry or wet connects for more than 10 minutes and 325 pounds of fuel transferred in total.[21] Further refueling tests were performed with E-2 and F-35C.[22]

Design

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Boeing's MQ-25 design is powered by one Rolls-Royce AE 3007N turbofan engine delivering 10,000 lbf (44 kN) of thrust; this is a variant of the engine used to power the Navy's MQ-4C Triton.[23][24] The aircraft is less stealthy than flying wing UAVs. It does feature a stealthy fuselage shaping, flush inlet to shield engine blades from radar, and a V-tail.

Images of an MQ-25 model released in April 2024 showed AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles on the underwing hardpoints. The model also showed an electro-optical sensor ball under the nose in front of the forward landing gear.[25]

Operational history

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In 2020, the U.S. Navy planned to establish Unmanned Carrier Launched Multi-Role Squadron 10 (VUQ-10) in October 2021 with four aircraft at Naval Base Ventura County, which includes Naval Air Station Point Mugu.[26][27][28] The Navy established VUQ-10 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, as the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) for the MQ-25 on 1 October 2022. The unit is working on testing and development of maintenance and operations procedures for the MQ-25. The unit is to eventually move to Naval Air Station Point Mugu at Naval Base Ventura County.[29]

Operators

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United States United States

  • United States Navy- 76 aircraft planned, the first Fleet Replacement Squadron, VUQ-10, stood up at Naval Air Station Patuxent River on 1 October 2021. Two operational units, VUQ-11 and VUQ-12 are planned to stand up on later dates.[30]
    • Pacific Fleet Squadrons
      • VUQ-10 (Fleet Replacement Squadron)
    • Planned Squadrons
      • VUQ-11
      • VUQ-12

Specifications (MQ-25A)

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Data from NAVAIR[31] and USN MQ-25A Basing Draft Environmental Assessment[32]

General characteristics

  • Length: 51.0 ft (15.5 m)
  • Wingspan: 75.0 ft (22.9 m) wings extended, 31.3 ft (9.54 m) folded
  • Height: 9.8 ft (3.0 m) wings extended, 15.7 ft (4.79 m) folded
  • Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce AE 3007N[33] turbofan, >10,000 lbf (>44 kN) thrust

Performance

  • Range: 500 nmi (580 mi, 930 km) when delivering ≥16,000 lb (7,250 kg) of fuel[34]

Armament

See also

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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

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  1. ^ a b LaGrone, Sam (30 August 2018). "Navy Picks Boeing to Build MQ-25A Stingray Carrier-Based Drone". U.S. Naval Institute. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b Freedberg Jr, Sydney J. (1 February 2016). "Good-Bye, UCLASS; Hello, Unmanned Tanker, More F-35Cs In 2017 Budget". Breaking Defense. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022.
  3. ^ Cavas, Christopher P. (1 February 2016). "US Navy's Unmanned Jet Could Be a Tanker". Defense News. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024.
  4. ^ LaGrone, Sam (9 February 2016). "Pentagon to Navy: Convert UCLASS Program Into Unmanned Aerial Tanker, Accelerate F-35 Development, Buy More Super Hornets". U.S. Naval Institute. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023.
  5. ^ Osborn, Kris (24 October 2016). "Navy awards MQ-25 Stingray tanker deal". Defense Systems. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  6. ^ Trimble, Stephen (20 October 2016). "USN awards MQ-25 risk reduction contract to Northrop Grumman". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  7. ^ LaGrone, Sam (15 July 2016). "It's Official: 'MQ-25A Stingray' U.S. Navy's Name For First Carrier UAV". U.S. Naval Institute. Archived from the original on 31 May 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  8. ^ Whittle, Richard (22 March 2016). "Navy Refueling Drone May Tie Into F-35s". Breaking Defense. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  9. ^ LaGrone, Sam (1 September 2017). "MQ-25 Stingray Unmanned Aerial Tanker Could Almost Double Strike Range of U.S. Carrier Air Wing". U.S. Naval Institute. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023.
  10. ^ LaGrone, Sam (10 October 2017). "Navy Releases Final MQ-25 Stingray RFP; General Atomics Bid Revealed". U.S. Naval Institute. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023.
  11. ^ a b Rogoway, Tyler (13 March 2018). "We Finally See The Wings On Boeing's MQ-25 Drone As Details About Its Genesis Emerge". The Drive. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  12. ^ a b Insinna, Valerie (20 December 2017). "Boeing offers sneak peek of MQ-25 tanker drone". Defense News. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017.
  13. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (20 December 2017). "General Atomics is the first to show of its MQ-25 tanker drone". The Drive. Archived from the original on 19 July 2023.
  14. ^ Majumdar, Dave (20 December 2017). "Lockheed reveals Sea Ghost concept for USN UCLASS programme". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 25 March 2020.
  15. ^ Giangreco, Leigh (25 October 2017). "Northrop Grumman pulls out of MQ-25 competition". FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  16. ^ Donald, David (7 April 2020). "Navy Orders More Test Stingrays from Boeing". Aviation International News. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020.
  17. ^ Insinna, Valerie; Larter, David B. (30 August 2018). "US Navy selects builder for new MQ-25 Stingray aerial refueling drone". Defense News. Archived from the original on 9 January 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  18. ^ Cone, Allen (1 May 2019). "Boeing's MQ-25 refueling drone moved to air base for flight testing". Space Daily. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023.
  19. ^ D'Urso, Stefano (20 September 2019). "Boeing MQ-25 Stingray Carrier-Based Aerial Refueling Drone flies for the first time". The Aviationist. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  20. ^ Sampson, Ben (17 December 2020). "Boeing MQ-25 aerial refueler makes first test flight with fuel store". Aerospace Testing International. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  21. ^ Eckstein, Megan (7 June 2021). "US Navy, Boeing conduct first-ever aerial refueling with unmanned tanker". Defense News. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021.
  22. ^ Tyrrell, Michael (14 September 2021). "F-35 fighter refuelled in-flight by unmanned Boeing test aircraft - Aerospace Manufacturing". aero-mag.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022.
  23. ^ "Rolls-Royce to power Boeing MQ-25 aircraft for US Navy". Rolls Royce. 6 September 2018.
  24. ^ "Rolls-Royce to power Boeing MQ-25 aircraft for US Navy". Navy Recognition. 15 September 2018. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022.
  25. ^ a b Newdick, Thomas; Tyler, Rogoway (10 April 2024). "MQ-25 Stingray Tanker Drone Armed With Stealthy Anti-Ship Missiles Makes Perfect Sense". The Warzone. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  26. ^ Trevithick, Joseph (5 October 2020). "Navy Establishes First Squadron To Operate Its Carrier-Based MQ-25 Stingray Tanker Drones". The Drive. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  27. ^ Burgess, Richard R. (2 October 2020). "Navy to Establish First MQ-25 Stingray UAV Squadron in 2021". Seapower Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023.
  28. ^ Burgess, Richard R. (2 August 2021). "Navy to Stand-Up 2 Fleet MQ-25 Squadrons to Deploy Detachments". Seapower Magazine. Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  29. ^ ""America's Navy>Organization>Unmanned Carrier-Launched Multi-Role Squadron 10>About Us"". airpac.navy.mil. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  30. ^ "Two Stingray MQ-25 fleet squadrons to be established". Scramble - Dutch Aviation Society. 4 August 2021. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022.
  31. ^ "MQ-25™ Stingray". NAVAIR. Retrieved 20 Sep 2021.
  32. ^ "Home Basing of the MQ-25A Stingray Carrier-based Unmanned Air System" (PDF). US Department of Defense. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  33. ^ "Rolls-Royce to power Boeing MQ-25 aircraft for US Navy". Rolls-Royce. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  34. ^ "Selected Acquisition Report" (PDF). Washington Headquarters Services. Retrieved 20 Sep 2021.
  35. ^ Reim, Garrett. "Boeing flies MQ-25 with aerial refuelling pod for first time". FlightGlobal. DVV Media International Ltd. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
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Media related to Boeing MQ-25 at Wikimedia Commons

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