Boeing wins MQ-25A Stingray contract award
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| Boeing's winning design for MQ-25A |
Feel free to check out the above link for the basics. Binkov's comments are in italics.
To sum it up, the initial operational capability for Boeing's design is expected by 2024.
Taking cues from other development programs, that usually means in 2024 or a year or two later.
Part of the teason for Boeing's victory is that they made the effort to built actual full-scale demonstrator aircraft, unlike its two competitors.
MQ-25A is going to be a dedicated tanker unmanned aircraft, serving on USN carriers.
Right now, the only tanker plane is F-18 Super Hornet, when equipped with buddy tanking system. Basically, out of 48 (52+ with Growlers) Super Hornets on the carrier, part of them (roughly one quarter of them, during deployments) is often required to act as tankers and are thus not available for other, combat duties.
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| Another angle of Boeing's aircraft, showing some interesting design solutions |
What the above article doesn't mention
Boeing hopes to have first pre-serial airframes flying in 2021. Then a few years of training before the hoped-for 2024 date.
This contract covers only four prototypes. Later on, a separate contract will be signed for actual production airframes. USN planes to buy 72 Stingrays, costing some $13 billion. Both those figures are estimates that may change. Though, that suggests average cost of $180 million per plane, roughly three times as much as cost of Super Hornet.
That works out at 6 airframes per available USN carrier, with 12 airframes in reserve or for training. Given how carriers themselves are available less days per year than aircraft, each of 6-7 deployed or ready to deploy carriers might actually have even a few more MQ-25A tankers. (if room on the carrier permits)
MQ-25A requirement is to be able to fly 500 nautical miles (925 km) from the carrier and then offload 15 000 pounds of fuel (6810 kg) to other aircraft.
Super Hornet can offload the same amount of fuel at a shorter distance of some 390 nm (721 km).
Or, if flying out to 500 nm, the offloaded fuel amounts to 12 500 lb. (5675 kg)
Another requirement for the plane is to be design with future modifications in mind. Especially recon capabilities are cited as desired to be implemented some day. Recon and surveillance role would suit the airframe very much, with its efficient flying-wing unmanned design. Such design and lots of fuel might enable it to fly for 10 or so hours, which is great for the said role. USN currently has no planes with such capability operating from their carriers, so in that regard the MQ-25A might one day mark a big improvement in capabilities.
What all this also means is that USN is not likely to get an unmanned combat plane for years/decades to come. The precursor of MQ-25 was Unmanned combat air system program. But Navy requirements changed and it eventually dropped the combat part of it all, as well as minimized the requirements for stealth. Northrop Grumman's design, based on the already tested X-47B, was part of the Stingray competition. But NG decided its plane was overdesigned for the new role and could not compete. X-47B is now likely to remain an orphan demonstrator plane, as Navy has no need for actual unmanned strike capabilities.
Due to its unmanned nature, MQ-25A may enjoy some savings in operational costs over its lifetime, compared to Super Hornet. But it remains to be seen will its much higher initial price tag justify the whole buy. Or could have a very similar effect been achieved with more Super Hornet purchases (possibly with conformal fuel tanks for extra fuel) and more Super Hornets serving on the carriers.
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Super Hornet demonstrator with conformal fuel tanks
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