The US Navy has achieved the first-ever remote control of an uncrewed aerial refueler by an underway aircraft carrier from over 2,100 miles away.
During preliminary sea trials aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the carrier’s Unmanned Air Warfare Center (UAWC) connected with and controlled a Boeing MQ-25A Stingray test aircraft stationed at the company’s Mascoutah, Illinois, facility.
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The ship’s crew used its MD-5C Ground Control Station, linked via a Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) satellite network, to establish a Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) connection while the vessel was underway in the Pacific Ocean.
US Navy acting secretary Hung Cao said: “The MQ-25A Stingray’s carrier-based refuelling capabilities enable F/A-18 Super Hornets to fly farther and longer. The integration of this unmanned aerial refueler demonstrates the transformational change our manned and unmanned asset integration provides the fleet.”
The successful trial, described as the first of its kind, was part of a build-up series to validate operating procedures, networks, and system interfaces for the programme.
Previous exercises included pier side and at-sea demonstrations with the participation of the Unmanned Carrier Aviation Program Office (PMA-268), Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and the MQ-25 Integrated Test Team.
PMA-268 programme manager Captain Daniel Fucito said: “We have redefined naval power projection. This first-ever underway connection between a carrier-based UAWC and an MQ-25A aircraft proves that the Carrier Air Wing of tomorrow is a reality today.”
The MD-5C Ground Control Station integrates the Navy’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) network alongside Lockheed Martin’s MDCX systems and other government technologies, enabling command and control of the MQ-25A from the carrier.
The US Navy indicated that this system will also be used to control future uncrewed carrier-based aircraft under its Air Wing of the Future plans.
The MQ-25A, claimed to be the world’s first fully integrated, carrier-based uncrewed aerial vehicle, is set to provide organic refuelling for carrier air wings.
This capability is designed to extend the operational reach of carrier-based aircraft, while enabling more F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to focus on strike and other mission sets.
