New Navy unmanned aircraft may be a game changer: Weapon of the week

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TIME NOW FOR OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK, AND FOR THIS ONE WE’RE TURNING OUR EYES TO THE SKIES FOR WHAT COULD BE A BIG PLAYER FOR THE NAVY. 

MEET THE MQ-25 STINGRAY. IT’S SLEEK, IT CAN CARRY A LOT OF GAS, AND IT’S UNMANNED. THIS IS WHAT THE NAVY HOPES WILL HELP CARRIER AIR WINGS AND CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS MAXIMIZE THEIR AIR POWER.

BUILT BY BOEING, THE MQ-25 IS THE RESULT OF YEARS OF ENGINEERING AND TESTING. THE PROJECT WAS ANNOUNCED IN APRIL OF 2018, WITH BOEING RELEASING A VIDEO ANNOUNCING THE PROJECT. AS YOU CAN TELL, WHAT WAS IMAGINED, AND WHAT WAS EVENTUALLY BUILT, WERE TWO FAIRLY SIMILAR-LOOKING AIRCRAFT. LESS THAN FOUR YEARS LATER, THE REAL VERSION OF THE STINGRAY HEADED TO SEA FOR IT’S FIRST TEST ABOARD AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER.

[Matthew Savage, Boeing UCAD Test Team Lead]

“We’re calling this the unmanned carrier aviation demonstration. To look at how the MQ operates on the flight-deck both from propulsion testing and our human factors evaluation. This is a historic moment for the Navy, and for the Boeing Company, because this is the first evaluation of this vehicle’s ability to operate with the fleet. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THOSE TESTS MUST HAVE GONE REASONABLY WELL BECAUSE IN FEBRUARY BOEING HANDED OVER THE FIRST STINGRAY TO THE NAVY FOR EVALUATION. 

MORE THAN JUST BEING A FLYING GAS STATION FOR THE NAVY’S F-18S AND F-35S, THE MQ-25 IS ALSO EXPECTED TO PLAY A ROLE IN GATHERING INTELLIGENCE, AS WELL AS CONDUCTING SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS.  

FOR THE RIGHT TO BUILD THE STINGRAY BOEING BEAT OUT GENERAL ATOMICS AND LOCKHEED MARTIN FOR AN $805 MILLION CONTRACT.

PROVIDING ALL GOES WELL THE NAVY’S DEAL INCLUDES FOUR MORE STINGRAYS FOR THE FLEET WITH PLANS TO EQUIP ALL NIMITZ-CLASS AND GERALD R. FORD-CLASS CARRIERS WITH THE ABILITY TO OPERATE MQ-25s.