The past week in images features a tornado spotted at thousands of feet in the air, a trucker saving an injured animal and a unique military aircraft fueling.
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.
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 – the same ARS currently used by F/A-18s for air-to-air refueling – tested the aircraft’s 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. (Credit: Dave Preston)
Boeing’s Autonomous MQ-25 T1 test asset flew with an ARS (Aerial Refueling Store) for the the first time.