The Navy's unmanned refueler successfully launched, signaling a shift in carrier aviation. This stealthy drone doubles strike ranges, shielding pilots and carriers from advanced long-range missile threats.
by Kris Osborn, Warrior Maven
The U.S. Navy reports that the long-anticipated MQ-25 Stingray carrier-launched refueler drone has finally completed its first operational test flight, something of great consequence for air attack campaigns given the risks and problems associated with the Air Force’s fleet of large, non-stealthy fixed-wing tanker aircraft.
The largest problem with large fixed-wing tankers is quite self-evident, as they simply operate with a survivability problem. KC-46 aircraft and legacy Air Force tankers are large, non-stealthy and easily seen by enemy ground radar in any kind of contested warfare environment. As “manned” aircraft, large fixed-wing tankers place airmen at great risk as well given the capabilities of today’s advanced ground-based air defenses.
While not formally designated as a stealth drone, the MQ-25 configuration does include a somewhat stealthy looking rounded, blended wing-body. An unmanned, carrier-launched refueler massively changes concept of operation for the Navy as it extends attack distance, doubles ranges of carrier-launched jets and introduces the prospect of extending air attacks with more dwell-time above targets.
Stingray & Carrier Drones?
The arrival of the MQ-25 Stingray is both anticipated and significant, given the way it can massively extend the combat reach of carrier-launched fighter jets; yet beyond this, the prospect of launching Combat Collaborative Aircraft from carriers is forward-thinking and equally significant because it means carrier-launched drones can potentially be refueled in the air as well, thereby extending mission effectiveness. When supported by the MQ-25, these CCAs can perform a much wider range of missions beyond refueling to include forward surveillance, aerial “node” relay sensing, ammunition and supply delivery across domains in high-threat environments and even strike missions when directed by a human in a manned jet or ship-based command and control center.
The arrival of the Stingray could not be soon enough for a variety of pressing reasons, such as the existence of China’s high-touted “carrier killer” DF-21D and DF-26 long range anti-ship missiles. The intent of these weapons is to hold carriers at risk for destruction from shore at unprecedented ranges up to or greater than 1,000 miles off shore. Should a carrier need to operate 1000 miles away from the area over which it seeks to project power, deck-launched attack aircraft could need refueling in order to make the journey, attack, and return safely.
Double the Range of F-35C
Should an F-35C, for example, operate with a combat radius of 5-to-6 hundred miles, it would need to turn around before reaching its target area if carriers need to project power from beyond the 1,000-mile strike range of China’s anti-ship missiles. This is where the MQ-25 Stingray comes in, as it could enable an F-35C to travel 1,000 miles to its objective over land from off-shore, conduct its mission with sufficient dwell-time, and return to the carrier. Operating the MQ-25, a Carrier Air Wing can still project massive power with an air attack campaign from previously impossible ranges offshore. This kind of capacity could help alter the balance of power in the Pacific in favor of US carriers, as they could hold mainland China at great risk without placing themselves within striking range of China’s “carrier-killer” anti-ship missiles.
The Stingray brings yet another advantage to high-threat maritime warfare because it does look a little stealthy. With a blended and rounded wing-body fuselage configuration and horizontal shape absent protruding vertical structures, the MQ-25 would certainly be much less vulnerable to detection by enemy radar. This means that not only can it reach at-sea locations much less accessible to land-launched refuelers, but it is also much more survivable than large, fixed-wing tanker aircraft likely to be extremely vulnerable to incoming enemy fire.
Carrier-Launched Drones
The US Navy has spent many years pushing the envelope of technological possibility in an effort to successfully navigate an unmanned system carrier-deck launch and landing, and the service’s efforts now appear to be culminating in the successful launch and recovery of the MQ-25 Stingray from the USS George H.W. Bush several years ago. Landing a drone on a carrier first emerged roughly 10 years ago when, after much research, development and testing, the Navy successfully launched a Northrop Grumman X-47B demonstrator drone from a carrier deck. This, Navy engineers and weapons developers explained, required years of advanced computing and engineering as special algorithms had to be created to enable an unmanned system to endure and navigate the variables and complexities associated with a carrier landing. While the task has historically been quite challenging for manned fighter jets seeking to land on a carrier, humans can adapt quickly and with knowledge of turbulent sea states, changing wind conditions, combat complications, darkness or even sustaining incoming enemy fire. These tasks require human judgments and capabilities, and an ability to respond quickly to fast-changing maritime combat conditions. They are therefore much more difficult for a drone to perform, yet the Navy has made great progress and has now successfully built a carrier-based drone command and control headquarters and drones capable of landing with little to no human intervention.
Kris Osborn is the Military Technology Editor of 1945. Osborn is also President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University