- Autonomous tanker drone completed two-hour maiden flight validating nuclear flight systems
- The MQ-25A will replace combat aircraft in the aerial refueling role aboard aircraft carriers
- Additional testing planned prior to transition to carrier qualification operations in Maryland
The US Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray autonomous tanker drone, the service’s first operational unmanned aerial tanker, has completed its maiden flight.
The two-hour test took place over southern Illinois, where the aircraft performed a series of maneuvers to validate its basic flight controls and onboard operations.
During the mission, the drone followed a predetermined plan which saw it taxi, take off, fly and land autonomously, all triggered through commands issued from the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System MD-5 Ground Control Station.
The article continues below
The Navy is planning autonomous operations
Aircraft pilots set the route and defined waypoints before launch, then monitored performance throughout the flight and retained the ability to abort or adjust the mission if necessary.
The aircraft handled propulsion, guidance, subsystems and flight control on its own as the mission began, demonstrating how the US Navy plans to run autonomous operations while keeping human oversight in the loop.
“Today’s successful flight builds on years of learning from our MQ-25A T1 prototype and represents a major maturation of the program,” said Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager, Boeing Air Dominance.
“The MQ-25A is the most complex autonomous system ever developed for the aviation environment, and this historic achievement brings us closer to safely integrating the Stingray into the flight wing.”
The Stingray fills a very specific gap in aircraft operations, taking over the aerial refueling role currently held by the F/A-18 Super Hornets, freeing them to return to strike and combat roles.
Rear Adm. Tony Rossi, the US Navy’s unmanned aviation and strike weapons program manager, said: “The MQ-25A is not just an aircraft: it is the first step in integrating unmanned aerial refueling on the carrier deck, directly enabling our manned fighters to fly farther and faster.”
Earlier testing with the MQ-25A T1 prototype helped lay the groundwork for this flight, with the former demonstrator logging around 125 flight hours to prove the concept before production aircraft took over.
DefenseScoop reports that the test also validated the Rolls-Royce AE 3007N engine and confirmed integration with the ground control system that operators will rely on as the aircraft enters aircraft testing.
More test flights are planned from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport before the aircraft transfers to Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, where preparations for aircraft carrier qualification flights will begin.
Look at
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds.
