Page 22 - Combat Aircraft (January 2020)

READY ROOM // UNMANNED TANKERS

The ability of a large unmanned aerial the navy with a long-range unmanned
vehicle (UAV) to take o from and land surveillance aircraft with the potential
on an aircraft carrier was demonstrated to become a strike or electronic attack
by the X-47B, ultimately going to sea aircraft. The navy cancelled this ambitious Above: An artist’s
for operations aboard the USS Theodore e ort, wisely deciding to scale back impression of the
Roosevelt (CVN 71) in 2013. Despite this the requirements in order to reduce MQ-25 refueling
an F/A-18E Super
impressive feat, Northrop Grumman development risk and eld a carrier- Hornet.Boeing
chose not to continue through to the based UAV more quickly. In fact, the
MQ-25 competition, but the lessons MQ-25 program imposed only two key Below: This
artist’s impression
learned by the navy for UAV carrier performance parameters: the ability to — a screen
operations from the X-47B program are operate from an aircraft carrier and to grab from a
being applied to the MQ-25. conduct aerial refueling. video — shows
the planned
Boeing’s MQ-25 T1 had been conceived confi guration of
for the earlier Unmanned Carrier- A winning design the MQ-25 with
Launched Aerial Surveillance System The US Navy announced Boeing as the wing-mounted
refueling pods.
(UCLASS) concept, intended to provide MQ-25 winner on August 30, 2018. As Boeing

22 January 2020 // www.Key.Aero

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20-23 Ready room C.indd 22 21/11/2019 20:56