| Developers: | Boeing |
| Branches: | Transport |
2021: First refueling of F-35 fighter in the air
On September 13, 2021, Boeing's MQ-25 T1 Stingray unmanned refueler successfully refueled the US Navy F-35C Lightning II fighter in the air for the first time, demonstrating that a robotic aircraft can support a 5th generation fighter.
The flight was with a test pilot from the US Navy Air Test and Refueling Evaluation Squadron and was the third for the MQ-25 since the test program began in 2019. Previous flights included refueling the F/A-18 Super Hornet and E-2D Hawkeye to show that the drone can refuel a wide range of aircraft-based aircraft.
During the last test, the pilot of the F-35C aircraft carrier followed the MQ-25 to collect data on the characteristics of the aircraft, the dynamics of the power plant, structural loads and test strength and stability in reverse wave conditions from the drone jet engine. Then the fighter moved forward, came into contact with the MQ-25 air refueling road and took fuel.
 | Each test flight with an aircraft of a different type/model/series makes us one step closer to the quick delivery to the fleet of the fully ready-to-perform MQ-25. Stingray's unmatched refueling capabilities will increase the projection of US Navy forces and provide operational flexibility for aircraft carrier strike group commanders, says Captain Chad Reed, head of the US Navy unmanned aerial program. |  |
The information obtained during the flights will be used to modernize the MQ-25 digital models in order to improve the first production models for the US aircraft carrier wing. The next important test stage will be the transfer of an American aircraft carrier to conduct exercises.
Boeing has signed a contract with the Pentagon for the production and supply of the first four deck-based unmanned refueling aircraft to the US Navy. The contract value is $805 million. Order due date, August 2024.
The unmanned refueling aircraft is designed to refuel in the air F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter-bombers of carrier-based aircraft and the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft manufactured by Boeing, as well as fifth-generation F-35 fighters of the rival company Lockheed Martin. [1]
Notes
| The site content is translated by machine translation software powered by PROMT. The machine-translated articles are not always perfect and may contain errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. Read original article If you find inaccuracies or errors in the results of machine translation, please write to editor@tadviser.ru. We will make every effort to correct them as soon as possible. |