May 16, 2024 | International, Land
Four ways US Army’s Pacific chief plans to boost regional land forces
More countries are joining multilateral exercises and training events to strengthen a network to deter aggression in the Pacific.
December 11, 2020 | International, Aerospace
Boeing’s Autonomous MQ-25 Completes First Test Flight with Aerial Refueling Store
St. Louis, December. 9, 2020 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Navy have for the first time flown the MQ-25 T1 test asset with an aerial refueling store (ARS), a significant milestone informing development of the unmanned aerial refueler.
The successful 2.5-hour flight with the Cobham ARS – the same ARS currently used by F/A-18s for air-to-air refueling – was designed to test the aircraft's aerodynamics with the ARS mounted under the wing.
The flight was conducted by Boeing test pilots operating from a ground control station at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Ill.
“Having a test asset flying with an ARS gets us one big step closer in our evaluation of how MQ-25 will fulfill its primary mission in the fleet – aerial refueling,” said Capt. Chad Reed, the U.S. Navy's Unmanned Carrier Aviation program manager. “T1 will continue to yield valuable early insights as we begin flying with F/A-18s and conduct deck handling testing aboard a carrier.”
Future flights will continue to test the aerodynamics of the aircraft and the ARS at various points of the flight envelope, eventually progressing to extension and retraction of the hose and drogue used for refueling.
“To see T1 fly with the hardware and software that makes MQ-25 an aerial refueler this early in the program is a visible reminder of the capability we're bringing to the carrier deck,” said Dave Bujold, Boeing's MQ-25 program director. “We're ensuring the ARS and the software operating it will be ready to help MQ-25 extend the range of the carrier air wing.”
The Boeing-owned T1 test asset is a predecessor to the engineering development model aircraft being produced under a 2018 contract award. T1 is being used for early learning and discovery, laying the foundation for moving rapidly into development and test of the MQ-25.
Following its first flight last year, T1 accumulated approximately 30 hours in the air before the planned modification to install the ARS.
Earlier this year the Navy exercised an option for three additional MQ-25 air vehicles, bringing the total aircraft Boeing is initially producing to seven. The Navy intends to procure more than 70 aircraft, which will assume the tanking role currently performed by F/A-18s, allowing for better use of the combat strike fighters.
For more information on Boeing Defense, Space & Security, visit www.boeing.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense and @BoeingSpace.
Boeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As the top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.
###
Contact:
Ashlee Erwin
Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Mobile: +1 314-239-9944
ashlee.i.erwin@boeing.com
Justin Gibson
Boeing Defense, Space & Security
Mobile: +1 314-708-6293
justin.l.gibson@boeing.com
View source version on Saab: https://boeing.mediaroom.com/news-releases-statements?item=130780#assets_20295_130780-117:20857
On the same subject
-
-
January 22, 2020 | International, Naval
Industry protest ensnares Germany’s multibillion-dollar combat ship
By: Sebastian Sprenger COLOGNE, Germany — The losing bidder for Germany's MKS 180 large-frigate program has filed a protest against the government's pick of Dutch shipyard Damen for the $6.7 billion job. German Naval Yards, based in Kiel, Germany, on Monday said it had “serious doubts about the legality of the decision” and would “exhaust all legal possibilities at our disposal” to have the decision overturned. The Defence Ministry announced Jan. 13 it selected Damen to build an initial four copies of the new multipurpose combat ships. The pick capped a source-selection process that had become controversial because the government decided to compete the project throughout the European Union. The strategy followed the bloc's principle of a unified market, but it left the domestic shipbuilding lobby miffed. The protest by German Naval Yards and its bid partner ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems kicks off a dispute process that begins with the Defence Ministry reviewing the complaint and then, if it remains unresolved, could wind its way through the German court system. There is no telling how long the process will take — some protests get resolved within weeks, but the process can take a year or longer. The Defence Ministry is expected to offer an indication later this month on whether its attorneys believe the Damen pick can withstand legal scrutiny. Damen has said it wants to build the ships at the shipyards of its German bid partner Lürssen, vowing to invest 80 percent of the contract's value in Germany. The protest comes at a time when Berlin is adopting a new policy that grants an exception to the EU competition mandate when national security is at stake. Specifically, the construction of surface warships would be designated as a “key technology area” so worthy of protection that future programs would be automatically awarded to German manufacturers. For that to be the case, however, two political initiatives have yet to play out: The German parliament must approve a revision of national source-selection rules from October 2019, which formally enable EU acquisition exceptions on national security grounds. In addition, the Cabinet has to greenlight a draft strategy document on nurturing domestic security- and defense-related industries, currently in interagency review, that confers the rank of “key technology area” to naval surface combatants. The strategy document, overseen by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, is expected to be ready for Cabinet consideration within weeks, as Defense News reported last week. Legal experts said the “key technology” debate has no immediate bearing on the German Naval Yards protest. At the same time, it is possible that the complaint's resolution, whichever way it goes, will come at a time when a domestic award preference for similar contracts is already in effect. https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2020/01/21/industry-protest-ensnares-germanys-multibillion-dollar-combat-ship/
-
February 1, 2022 | International, Naval
Shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls taps Kastner as next chief executive
They will take their new roles March 1, and Petters will stay at Huntington Ingalls through 2022.