A drone that can autonomously attach to fighter jets to refuel them mid-flight has been tested by Boeing.
The unmanned MQ-25A Stingray completed a two-hour flight where it demonstrated its ability to autonomously taxi, take off, fly, land and respond to commands from mission control. Once airborne, the Stingray stuck to a pre-determined mission plan that showed its capabilities as an aerial refuelling tanker for Boeing’s Super Hornet aircraft.
The Stingray is capable of travelling around 930km/h while delivering 7,250kg of fuel in a bid to effectively double the combat radius of the Super Hornet.
“Today’s successful flight builds on years of learning from our MQ-25A T1 prototype and represents a major maturation of the programme,” said Dan Gillian, vice-president at Boeing Air Dominance. “The MQ-25A is the most complex autonomous system ever developed for the carrier environment, and this historic achievement advances us closer to safely integrating the Stingray into the carrier air wing...