Unmanned aerial refueling aircraft MQ-25 First test flight with an aerial refueling pod

　The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray, an unmanned aerial refueling aircraft that the US Navy decided to adopt, carried out a test flight with an aerial refueling pod for the first time. This was announced by Boeing on December 9, 2020 (local time), indicating that the development phase has shifted not only to testing the aircraft alone, but also to testing in conditions closer to actual missions.

　The unmanned aerial refueling aircraft MQ-25 is like an "empty gas station" that launches from an aircraft carrier, waits in the air, and refuels allied aircraft in the air. Currently, carrier-operated aircraft attach an in-flight refueling device called "buddy pod" to a normal combat aircraft and refuel in the air to allied aircraft. You can't arm yourself, and you're wasting one combat aircraft when attacking.

For this reason, the U.S. Navy's concept is to leave all of the valuable combat aircraft and pilots to attack missions by entrusting aerial refueling to unmanned aircraft. It can be said that this has become feasible because of the rapid development of drone technology.

The aerial refueling device that the MQ-25 is equipped with is the same pod type aerial refueling system (ARS) made by British Cobham as the conventional "Buddy Pod". Equipped with one pod under the left wing, it took off remotely from Mid-America St. Louis Airport (Scott Air Force Base). During the two-and-a-half-hour flight, we checked the flight characteristics and maneuverability with the pod attached to the outside.

　Captain Chad Reed, Unmanned Aircraft Carrier Aviation Program Manager at the Naval Air Systems Center (NAVAIR), who is in charge of the MQ-25 development plan for the US Navy, said, "The fact that the test aircraft flew with the aerial refueling system , a major step forward in evaluating how the MQ-25 will perform in the fleet's primary mission of aerial refueling, and will fly alongside F/A-18s in the future. , we will collect valuable initial data through testing on the aircraft carrier's flight deck." Welcome to the new stage of development.

　The MQ-25 test aircraft, which has successfully completed its first flight with an aerial refueling pod, will continue to conduct flight tests to collect data on aerodynamic and maneuverability characteristics in various flight situations. In this phase, we will finally extend and retract the aerial refueling hose, which is necessary for the aerial refueling work.

Boeing News Release Image: Boeing

(Tamaki Sakimura)

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