Boeing enlarges military tanker drone "MQ-25 Stingray"
Boeing is further developing the sea-based autonomous refueling drone "MQ-25 Stringray" so that it can also be used from land.
An autonomous MQ-25 refueling drone (left) is refueled in the air by a KC-46 refueling aircraft (right).
(Image: Boeing)
The aerospace and defense company Boeing intends to build an enlarged version of the unmanned, autonomous tanker aircraft "MQ-25 Stingray". Boeing presented the design on Monday at the Air Space & Cyber Conference of the Air & Space Forces Association. The revised tanker drone will have a larger wingspan and around 40 percent more tank volume. This should enable the land-based drone to better fulfill the refueling plans of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to refuel combat aircraft in contested areas in the air.
Boeing's design calls for the sea-based MQ-25, created for the U.S. Navy, to be extended in wingspan from 75 to 92 feet (approximately 23 to 28 meters). The land-based version, MQ-25 Land-Based Variant (LBV), will no longer require retractable wings, as the original version for the Navy did, to make it easier to accommodate on boats. The enlargement of the wings is accompanied by a larger volume for fuel, which the tanker drone carries in its wings. The unmanned tanker aircraft will then be able to carry around 40 percent more fuel for aerial refueling of fighter aircraft.
The MQ-25 LBV will not have its own refueling boom. Instead, a hose transfer system will be used to enable the refueling of USAF fighter aircraft.
Boeing's new drone design focuses exclusively on the wings. The fuselage, the Rolls-Royce AE 3007N engines and the mission systems are to be retained. Modeling and simulations showed that a wingspan of 92 feet is the optimal wingspan for refueling.
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For aerial refueling in contested areas
Aerial refueling by the tanker drone is particularly intended for contested environments where conventional, larger refueling aircraft, such as a Boeing KC-46 Pegasus, are too easily targeted by enemy attacks. For example, an MQ-25 LBV could be refueled in safe airspace by a KC-46, which could then perform autonomous refueling of fighter aircraft in contested areas.
The larger wingspan of the MQ-25 LBV is also intended to expand the scope for further applications. For example, the drone could be equipped with weapons. It is also suitable for reconnaissance, surveillance, airborne early warning and electronic warfare.
(olb)
