The promising carrier-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) MQ-25 Stingray, developed by Boeing for the US Navy, for the first time refueled the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye long-range radar detection and control aircraft (AWACS) in the air. The corresponding video was published on Twitter.
The tests took place on August 18. The UAV was in the air for about six hours. The refueling was carried out at an altitude of about 3 kilometers and a speed of more than 400 kilometers per hour. The tests were recognized as successful.
On June 4, the drone conducted an aerial refueling of a fighter for the first time in history. The refueling of the prototype MQ-25 Stingray F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft of the US Navy took place in the sky over the state of Illinois. The UAV was in the air for about 4.5 hours.
According to The Drive, the first MQ-25 Stingray should receive the George Bush aircraft carrier of the Nimitz type. In addition to refueling, such UAVs are planned to be used in reconnaissance. In total, the US Navy plans to receive 72 units of the MQ-25 Stingray. Deliveries of the first drones should begin before 2025.
The first flight of the MQ-25 Stingray, designed for aerial refueling of carrier-based fighters, for example, the F-35C Lightning II, took place in September 2019.
Ivan Potapov
