MQ-25 'Stingray'
Tanker Drone Design for the Navy
Lockheed Martin is bringing the future of unmanned aircraft carrier aviation to the U.S.
Navy with its MQ-25. An unmanned aircraft system designed for the U.S. Navy
mission, it will provide the needed robust refueling capability thereby
extending the combat range of deployed Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet, Boeing
EA-18G Growler, and Lockheed Martin F-35C fighters.
Our aircraft is ready for the mission, the
flight deck and the U.S. Navy. Boeing has been delivering carrier aircraft to
the Navy for more than 90 years – we know the flight deck. Our MQ-25 brings the
right combination of refueling, autonomy, and seamless carrier deck integration
to deliver a solution that meets the U.S. Navy’s goals: put a low-cost unmanned
aerial refueling aircraft on the flight deck as soon as possible.
Lockheed Martin's
Advanced Development Programs, better known as Skunk Works, has released
concept images of its MQ-25 'Stingray' design, an unmanned carrier-launched
tanker plane. The refueling drone will compete against designs from Boeing and General
Atomics for a Navy contract to build a fleet of the aircraft.
The Navy's MQ-25
program seeks a refueling drone that can perform catapult-launched takeoffs and
arrested landings on aircraft carriers. The tanker should be capable of passing
14,000 lbs. of fuel to other planes at a range of 500 nautical miles from the
carrier. Such a tanker could significantly extend the operating range of
carrier-based fighter jets like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and F-35C Joint
Strike Fighter. A Super Hornet, for example, has a strike range of about 450
nautical miles. The Stingray could extend that range to more than 700 nmi.
The Navy is currently
evaluating the tanker design from Skunk Works, as well as a drone from
https://www.facebook.com/chickennnpubg/Boeing's Phantom Works known as the T-1 and a joint project between
Boeing Autonomous Systems and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems on another
MQ-25 prototype. Boeing's T-1 prototype is currently conducting flight deck
testing on a painted runway.
Lockheed's
single-engine flying wing design is somewhat reminiscent of the B-2 Spirit,
though with only a slightly longer wingspan than a fighter jet. It will need to
be compact, and equipped with folding wings, to operate in the tight confines
of an aircraft carrier flight deck.
Though the program
does not call for stealth capabilities, Skunk Works' MQ-25 design's low profile
could have modest stealth benefits. A spokesperson for Lockheed Martin
told Popular Mechanics that it is working toward the Navy's
requirements, and stealth is not one of them, but Lockheed "can absolutely
rapidly integrate stealth into additional mission systems." The tanker,
however, is designed to carry gas, and the concept images from Lockheed show
the aircraft flying with a fuel pod mounted on its belly.
The aircraft design
appears to have a camera and possibly sensors on its nose, likely for a remote
pilot to fly the drone. It's possible that the Lockheed MQ-25 design also calls
for some autonomous systems, such as collision avoidance or an automatic recall
to the carrier.
Skunk Works also
revealed its X-44A prototype at the Los Angeles County Airshow, a
never-before-seen UAV demonstrator from the early 2000s that Lockheed says was
part of a family of test vehicles. The timing of the unveiling is likely
intended to showcase Lockheed's history of UAV aircraft designs ahead of the
MQ-25 competition.
The Navy is expected
to award a contract for the MQ-25 in around September of this year, with the
first deliveries coming in the early or mid-2020s.
Source:
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a19600045/lockheed-martin-unveils-mq-25-stingray-tanker-drone-design-for-the-navy/
