By Alex Sundby, Eleanor Watson
June 9, 2021 / 7:05 AM / CBS News Drone refuels U.S. Navy fighter jet midair
An unmanned aircraft successfully refueled a U.S. fighter jet in midair for the first time, officials said Monday. A Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet and a Boeing-made drone were briefly connected by a hose as the drone transferred jet fuel to the aircraft in the skies over the Midwest during Friday s test flight.
During the flight, the Super Hornet approached the drone, known as a MQ-25 Stingray, from behind and were as close as 20 feet from each other, Boeing said. The hose extended from the drone, and the Super Hornet connected with the drogue at the end of the hose to receive the fuel. The Navy posted video of the test flight to Twitter.
It would not be too much of a crazy stretch to say the existence of this refueler could be the difference in victory or defeat in a possible war against China.
Pentagon budget 2022: US Navy requests increased unmanned investments
by Michael Fabey
The US Navy (USN) is looking to grow its unmanned portfolio with funding requests for subsea, surface, and aerial systems in the service’s proposed fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget proposal, released on 28 May.
The navy requests about USD268.9 million for the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS) programme, which was recently restructured with near-term focus on the new Unmanned Carrier Aviation n(UCA)/MQ-25 Stingray programme and accelerated fielding timelines.
Boeing and Naval Air Systems Command have been testing the unmanned MQ-25A T1 prototype. (Boeing Phantom Works)
Boeing and the U.S. Navy flew the MQ-25 T1 test asset with an aerial refueling store (ARS) for the first time on Dec. 9, 2020. The successful flight with the Cobham ARS â the same ARS currently used by F/A-18s for air-to-air refueling â tested the aircraftâs aerodynamics with the ARS mounted under the wing. Future flights will continue to test the aerodynamics of the aircraft and the ARS at various points of the flight envelope, eventually progressing to extension and retraction of the hose and drogue used for refueling. (Boeing photograph by Dave Preston
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Boeing and the U.S. Navy have, for the first time, flown the MQ-25 T1 test asset with an aerial refueling store (ARS), a significant milestone informing development of the unmanned aerial refueler.