According to a recent report on the website of the United States Naval Academy, the T-1 prototype of the US Navy unmanned refueling aircraft has been transported to the George Bush (CVN-77) aircraft carrier for sea testing.

Rear Admiral Andrew Loiselle, responsible for aviation operations in the US Navy, stated that the testing of the MQ-25A Stingray, manufactured by Boeing, was intended for longer range operations in regions such as the Indo Pacific. Significant progress has been made on the T-1 project, reducing its risks. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to test the performance of the flight deck under relevant wind conditions. How does it operate from the perspective of the engine when wind speeds from all directions exceed 25 knots. He stated that the MQ-25 is a key component of the Navy's efforts for longer range combat, just as it will face in the Indo Pacific region.

This prototype was originally built by Boeing for the Aerial Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) program launched for unmanned aircraft carriers, and later converted into a tanker. It has undergone ground refueling tests on the F/A-18F Super Hornet, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, and F-35c Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

Loisel stated that the Navy plans to have warrant officers operate these refueling aircraft, with the first batch of 10 currently undergoing "processing" and specialized training for the MQ-25A. He pointed out that the Navy's vision for unmanned aerial systems includes more autonomy than the Air Force.

To achieve this level of autonomy, the Navy believes that trained aircraft operators are the only way. From the perspective of human resources, the complexity of training plans and current tactics requires soldiers to invest a lot of effort in acquiring the professional knowledge needed to participate in top-level battles. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect them to invest their energy elsewhere - this does not mean that we cannot make some changes during busy training periods or along this path. But the Navy's idea is that due to the expansion of autonomy, a single operator will have the ability to control multiple drones simultaneously.

Loisel stated that the Navy is attempting to simplify the requirements of the MQ-25 in order to expedite the transportation of the aircraft to the fleet, but now he is seeking other potential missions for the tanker.

In order to ensure rapid progress on this project, the Navy has streamlined the initial performance requirements. Surprisingly, the MQ-25's capabilities far exceed the Navy's required Initial Operational Capability (IOC). So in the initial operational capability requirements, it needs to be able to work around aircraft carriers and perform aerial refueling - which is exactly what the Navy currently requires.

In the future, the performance of drones will spiral as the Navy plans to equip it with a mission base and weaponize it, which will have significant additional potential. But the navy also hopes that it has the ability to transport approximately 15000 pounds of oil 500 miles away from the aircraft carrier. That is to say, the navy will have the ability to separate its two functions in the future. That's why the Navy will consider adding features that can significantly improve drone performance in the future. At present, all of the above possibilities are proposals put forward by the Navy regarding the funding party.

Boeing defeated Lockheed Martin and General Atomics to win the contract order for the construction of carrier based unmanned aerial vehicles in 2018. The first batch of development model aircraft currently under construction will be produced next year, while IOC plans to complete it in the fiscal year 2025.

Although the Navy is currently focused on refueling needs, the MQ-25 project is considered capable of performing more tasks in the future, such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.

Major General Loisel has shown full trust in drones. Even though the Navy has a fleet of helicopters that can take off directly from destroyers and monitor the sea surface in real-time, the Rear Admiral still firmly believes that the performance of drones will not fall behind, and this will save the Navy many avoidable losses.

Hudson Institute researcher Tim Walton said that future improved models of the MQ-25 may help the Navy have an aircraft on the carrier that can be remotely operated and perform other tasks. He stated that the MQ-25 not only has great potential in ISR, but also in other missions such as strike or airborne electronic attacks.

The addition of MQ-25A will increase the combat range of other carrier based aircraft: however, aircraft carriers and other ships may need to maintain increasing standoff distances to counter dangerous threats such as cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and hypersonic missiles launched from land, sea, and air. This distance may offset the opportunities brought by MQ-25A. In addition, the current planned procurement quantity of MQ-25A is very small, which may prompt the Navy to operate MQ-25A as a "refueling aircraft" to provide fuel for aircraft in emergency situations and help them recover on the aircraft carrier, rather than a "mission refueling aircraft" accompanying aircraft on missions away from the carrier.

Loisel stated that there are discussions on expanding the MQ-25A filing project; Just started, waiting for budget and top line; examination. It is difficult to predict how things will develop in the future as we do not yet know the situation of the US military in the fiscal year 2022. The fact that the US military already has the next iteration of offensive capabilities does not mean that there will not be the next iteration of defensive capabilities to meet these requirements. The emergence of MQ-25 extended the range of existing fighter jets in the US military.

Source: Strategic Frontier Technologies