U.S. Aircraft Carrier Able to Remotely Control MQ-25A Refueling Drone from 3,380 km Away

While in the Pacific Ocean, the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan was able to remotely control the MQ-25A Stingray refueling drone from a distance of over 3,380 km.

This was reported by the U.S. Navy.

Controlling the drone at such a distance was made possible by the pLEO satellite network.

This was achieved using an MD-5C ground control station, which enables communication with the MQ-25A beyond line of sight.

The drone itself was located at a Boeing facility in Muskot, Illinois, while the aircraft carrier was at sea in the Pacific Ocean.

The MQ-25A Stingray is a large unmanned aerial vehicle designed for in-flight refueling.

The Stingray will be capable of carrying up to 7,200 kg of fuel over a distance of up to 500 nautical miles. This will allow it to refuel two or three F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters during a sortie. The fuel capacity of these aircraft’s internal tanks is approximately 6,000 kg, depending on the variant.

“This is the first-ever establishment of a communication link at sea between a ship-based unmanned aerial vehicle combat operations center and an MQ-25A aircraft,” said U.S. Navy Captain Daniel Fucito.

The MD-5C ground control station integrates the U.S. Navy’s command, control, communications, computing, and intelligence systems with Lockheed Martin’s MDCX hardware and software and other equipment.

This enables command and control of the MQ-25A. In the future, the system will also control other U.S. Navy unmanned carrier-based aircraft and support the operations of the carrier air wing of the future.

The Stingray will provide the carrier air wing with the capability to independently refuel aircraft in flight. As a result, more F/A-18E/F aircraft will be able to focus on strike missions, and the air wing’s operational range will increase.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. Navy ship capable of operating the latest MQ-25 Stingray unmanned aerial vehicles.