US Navy’s UCLASS / CBARS / MQ-XX / MQ-25 Stingray Program

Josh_TN said:
Would it even need to be a variant? The current platform is carrying heavier weights with tanks.
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So far, we've only ever seen MQ-25 flying with a single refueling pod under the port wing. There does not even appear to be a second hardpoint on the starboard side, so an armed version needs that modification at least. Plus whatever wiring and datalinks it needs for the weapon itself, and potentially some onboard ESM sensor for targeting. (It looks like the antennas on this model might be a bit different from the stock MQ-25A, but it's hard to tell.)
 
A Boeing team says it is on track to upgrade the MQ-25 Stingray with the ability to autonomously refuel other MQ-25s by 2030, meeting a “high priority” goal for the U.S. Navy. “We’re on a path to potentially being able to certify that in the future,” said Ryan McClintock
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Boeing On Track To Deliver MQ-25 Refueling Upgrade By 2030 | Aviation Week Network

A Boeing team says it is on track to upgrade the MQ-25 Stingray with the ability to autonomously refuel other MQ-25s by 2030.
aviationweek.com aviationweek.com
 
Josh_TN said:
It is rather silly to use your dedicated tanking asset as a weapons platform. And the entire MQ-25 effort seems like a ridiculous debacle, how is a UAV 150 million dollars?
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There are surely more cost effective ways to provide tanker support.

I'm usually critical of efforts to solve a problem in the most complicated way possible, but...

In the case of the MQ-25 though, it is a necessary evolutionary step in the operation of jet powered UAVs from aircraft carriers.

If the MQ-25 proves itself to be capable of safely operating from aircraft carriers, it is inevitable that other roles will be explored (as was originally intended at the start of the UCLAS program).
 

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