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25 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial

The U.S. Navy’s New Drone Could Team Up With Stealth Fighters

The U.S. Navy is spending $13 billion buying 72 MQ-25 Stingray tanker drones for its 11 aircraft carriers. The idea is for the Boeing BA-made MQ-25s to refuel manned fighters, extending their range while also relieving the fighter squadrons of their own tanking duties.

But the MQ-25 always had potential to be more than just an aerial-refueler. With its stealthy airframe and high endurance, it could be a surveillance plane and even a light strike platform, too.

At least one fleet community isn't waiting for the Navy and Boeing to adapt the MQ-25 to other missions. The fleet's airborne command-and-control weapons school at Naval Base Ventura County in Point Mugu, California, already thinks of the Stingray as more than a tanker.

Robbin Laird, a military analyst and writer, spoke to Cmdr. Christopher Hulitt, the head of the school, and summarized the conversation at Second Line of Defense.

Laird and Hulitt's main point is that the Navy is acquiring new aircraft with highly-sophisticated communications systems and sensors. The F-35C stealth fighter. The E-2D early-warning plane. The MQ-4C high-altitude drone. And the MQ-25.

Where before, E-2s would fly over a maritime battle, detecting targets and relaying commands to fighters, now a new system is coming together. The F-35C, E-2D, MQ-4C and MQ-25 all possess the qualities of a sensor- and command-and-control platform. So instead of passing information just one way—from an E-2 to a fighter—in coming years info could begin moving in all directions.

An F-35C in stealth mode might detect an enemy ship using its passive sensors and beam, via secure datalink, the target's general location to the nearby MQ-25 that just refueled the F-35C. The MQ-25 could hand off the data to an E-2D. The E-2D crew could instruct the operators of an MQ-4C to steer their drone toward the enemy ship's location.

Once the MQ-4C pinpoints the ship, the E-2D could then pass the targeting data back to the F-35C as well as to other allied vessels and planes, all of which could fire missiles. Imagine this whole process happening in minutes.

“It is about deploying an extended trusted sensor network, which can be tapped through various waveforms, and then being able to shape how the decision-making arc can best deliver the desired combat effect,” Laird wrote.

The Navy hopes to deploy the first MQ-25s as early as 2024.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2020/05/22/the-us-navys-new-drone-could-team-up-with-stealth-fighters/#9bc4fd875e2e

Sur le même sujet

  • Elbit to export Iron Fist system to the Netherlands

    12 février 2021 | International, Terrestre

    Elbit to export Iron Fist system to the Netherlands

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  • Air Force awards Boeing $2.4 billion contract for KC-46 tankers

    25 novembre 2024 | International, Aérospatial

    Air Force awards Boeing $2.4 billion contract for KC-46 tankers

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  • Four European armored vehicles qualify for Polish competition

    10 septembre 2020 | International, Terrestre

    Four European armored vehicles qualify for Polish competition

    By: Jaroslaw Adamowski KIELCE, Poland — Poland has accepted four offers to move forward in a competition to potentially provide several hundred armored personnel carriers to the country's military, the Ministry of Defence announced. Out of the 12 vehicles submitted in the initial stage of the tender, the ministry accepted four APCs: Fortress MK2, jointly offered by France's Arquus and Poland's H. Cegielski-Poznan plant. Hawkei, developed by French firm Thales. Patriot II, offered by Polish manufacturer Huta Stalowa Wola and Czech defense group Tatra Export. Tur V, developed by Polish vehicle-maker AMZ Kutno. The Fortress MK2 weighs 14.5 tons, and its engine is enabled with a 340-horsepower (250-kilowatt) capacity. The Hawkei is a 7-ton vehicle, and its engine offers 268-horsepower. The Patriot II weighs 13-17 tons, depending on the version, and its engine enabled with 362-402-horsepower capacity. Weighing 9 tons, the Tur V is fitted with an engine that offers a 322-horsepower capacity. By the end of this year, the Polish ministry is expected to provide the tender's participants with detailed technical specifications. Under the plan, the vehicle will be produced in Poland, and the first units are to be delivered to the Polish military two years after the contract is awarded. https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2020/09/09/four-european-armored-vehicles-qualify-for-polish-competition

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