Scout Warrior: Navy Advances MQ-25 Stingray Refueling Drone
The new carrier-launched tanker, called the MQ-25A Stingray, will be designed to extend the combat range of key carrier air-wing assets such as F/A-18 Super Hornets and F-35C Joint Strike Fighters.
The Navy is advancing plans for a first-of-its-kind, cyber-hardened unmanned aerial refueling drone to the next developmental phase for eventual service on an aircraft carrier deck by the early to mid 2020s.
The concept of the effort, called the MQ-25 Stingray, is to fortify the Carrier Air Wing with a hack-proof unmanned refueler able to massively extend the strike and mission range of its on-board aircraft.
The service has awarded four development deals for the MQ-25 to in anticipation of a formal proposal to industry by sometime next year. Deals went to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics and Northrop Grumman.
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WNU Editor: The U.S. Navy is putting the money into this program .... USN awards MQ-25 risk reduction contract to Northrop Grumman (Flight Global). And here .... Northrop Grumman gets $35 million MQ-25 drone support contract (UPI).
4 comments:
Nothing is hack proof.
Good idea. If lost, launch another. If hacked, well, it's just a refueling tanker.
Good idea. If lost, launch another. If hacked, well, it's just a refueling tanker.
If it's hacked, crashing one into an aircraft carrier will cause a few issues.
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