F18 carrier landing refuel mission5/28/2023 ![]() ![]() exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. The MQ-25 will assume the tanking role currently performed by F/A-18s, allowing for better use of the combat strike fighters and helping extend the range of the carrier air wing.įor more information on Boeing Defense, Space & Security, visit Follow us on Twitter: and is the world's largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. The Boeing-owned T1 test asset is a predecessor to the seven test aircraft Boeing is manufacturing under a 2018 contract award. MQ-25 T1 will continue flight testing prior to being shipped to Norfolk, Virginia, for deck handling trials aboard a U.S. The milestone comes after 25 T1 flights, testing both aircraft and ARS aerodynamics across the flight envelope, as well as extensive simulations of aerial refueling using MQ-25 digital models. With the evaluation safely completed, the MQ-25 drogue was extended, and the F/A-18 pilot moved in to "plug" with the unmanned aircraft and receive the scheduled fuel offload. Both aircraft were flying at operationally relevant speeds and altitudes. "Their work is the driving force behind the safe and secure integration of unmanned systems in the immediate future of defense operations."ĭuring the initial part of the flight, the F/A-18 test pilot flew in close formation behind MQ-25 to ensure performance and stability prior to refueling – a maneuver that required as little as 20 feet of separation between the MQ-25 T1 air vehicle and the F/A-18 refueling probe. "This history-making event is a credit to our joint Boeing and Navy team that is all-in on delivering MQ-25's critical aerial refueling capability to the fleet as soon as possible," said Leanne Caret, president and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "Over the next few years, we will work side-by-side with Boeing to deliver this capability that will greatly enhance the future carrier air wing." Brian Corey, who oversees the Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons. "This team of professionals was integral in the successful flight," said Rear Adm. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet, demonstrating the MQ-25 Stingray's ability to carry out its primary aerial refueling mission. Navy-issued aerial refueling store (ARS) and safely transferred jet fuel to a U.S. Navy and Boeing have demonstrated air-to-air refueling using an unmanned aircraft – the Boeing-owned MQ-25 ™ T1 test asset – to refuel another aircraft.ĭuring a test flight June 4, MQ-25 T1 successfully extended the hose and drogue from its U.S. LOUIS, J/ PRNewswire/ - For the first time in history, the U.S. ![]()
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