Get you up to speed: US Navy conducts successful test flight of autonomous MQ-25A Stingray drone
The autonomous MQ-25A Stingray successfully completed its first two-hour test flight, demonstrating its ability to autonomously taxi, take off, fly, land, and respond to commands from the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System MD-5 Ground Control Station. Developed by Boeing and the US Navy, the MQ-25A Stingray will primarily serve as a carrier-based aerial refuelling drone for the US Navy.
Developers Boeing and the US Navy completed the first two-hour test flight of the MQ-25A Stingray, which demonstrated its capabilities to autonomously taxi, take off, fly, land, and respond to commands from the MD-5 Ground Control Station. Dan Gillian, Vice President and General Manager of Boeing Air Dominance, stated that the successful flight marks a significant advancement in the integration of the Stingray into carrier operations.
Boeing and the US Navy will conduct additional test flights of the MQ-25A Stingray out of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport to validate its flight controls and capabilities before transitioning to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, for carrier qualifications. The aircraft is one of four Engineering Development Models under an $805 million contract with the Navy.
First flight of US drone which can refuel fighter jets mid-air | News US
The United States has shown off the first flight of a robot aircraft which could make jet fighter missions more deadly.
The autonomous MQ-25A Stingray will be able to refuel warplanes in mid-flight, allowing for longer missions.
Developers Boeing and the US Navy say they have now completed the first two-hour test flight of an operational model.
During the flight, the unmanned aircraft successfully demonstrated its ability to autonomously taxi, take off, fly, land and respond to commands from the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Mission Control System MD-5 Ground Control Station.
The MQ-25A Stingray will be used mainly as a carrier-based aerial refuelling drone for the US Navy.
It will help refuel fighter jets at sea, extend the range of the carrier air wing and free up F/A-18 Super Hornets to focus on strike missions.
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The unmanned drone will work with the US Navy (Picture: SWNS)
It may also be used for surveillance and other support roles from an aircraft carrier.
A statement from Boeing said: ‘The milestone advances the Stingray closer to aircraft carrier operations and marks the beginning of a new era in naval aviation.’
Dan Gillian, Vice President and General Manager of Boeing Air Dominance, said: ‘Today’s successful flight builds on years of learning from our MQ-25A T1 prototype and represents a major maturation of the program.
Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran‘s key South Pars gas field if there were further attacks against Qatar’s main gas plant. Trump confirmed on his Truth Social platform that Israel had struck the South Pars field but said the US "knew nothing" of the attack, which spurred Iran to strike Qatar’s Ras Laffan facility. (Photo by NAVCENT Public Affairs / DVIDS / AFP via Getty Images) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / US CENTRAL COMMAND" – HANDOUT – NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS – DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS” decoding=”async” loading=”lazy”/>
FA Super Hornet fighter jets will be able to be refuelled mid-air (Picture: AFP)
‘The MQ-25A is the most complex autonomous system ever developed for the carrier environment, and this historic achievement advances us closer to safely integrating the Stingray into the carrier air wing.’
The aircraft is the first of four Engineering Development Model aircraft that will be delivered to the Navy under the original $805m Engineering and Manufacturing Development contract.
Boeing and the Navy will conduct additional test flights out of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport to further validate the aircraft’s flight controls and capabilities before transitioning to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, to prepare for carrier qualifications.
The drone will be able to refuel fighter jets mid-air (Picture: SWNS)
The US has been ramping up its use of more advanced military weapons in recent combat operations, including 5,000-pound penetrator bombs, which have been dropped along Iran’s coastline.
The munitions, named by a government official as GBU-72 Advanced 5k Penetrator bombs, were first released in 2021.
The US released them over Iran in hopes of reaching ‘hardened, deeply buried target challenges’ – namely, missile silos along the Strait of Hormuz.
The Air Force said of the bombs: ‘The weapon design and its projected effectiveness were developed using advanced modelling and simulation techniques and processes before the first warhead was forged.
‘This is a repeatable process for all future direct attack weapons. Lethality is expected to be substantially higher compared to similar legacy weapons like the GBU-28, according to James Culliton, GBU-72 program manager.’
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